A crash involving two charter buses on Interstate 10 in LaPlace has reportedly sent two dozen students to the hospital. One of the buses involved is from Lee Magnet High School in Baton Rouge. The kids were on a field trip to the World War Two Museum in New Orleans because of good behavior. We’ll have more on this story as it develops.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Louisiana National Guard are getting together with several key state agencies for an Emergency Response Exercise on Saturday. GOHSEP spokesperson Mike Steele says this is an effort to synchronize response efforts the next time disaster strikes…:
Cut 3 (09) “that comes out”
Steele says experts continue to say our warm winter conditions could mean an increase in severe weather for the spring and early summer.

Governor Edwards has released his legislative proposals on criminal justice reform. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny, who is carrying many of the bills, says one would expand incentives for inmates to participate in recidivism reducing programs, like drug and psychiatric treatment…:
CUT 14 (10) “out bad people”
The session begins April 10th.

The University of Louisiana at Monroe is looking for new homes for some of the biology research collections at the Museum of Natural History. Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Eric Pani says some preserved specimens of fish, reptiles, amphibians, and plants will be given to other institutions…
Cut 6 (09) “the state”
The fish collection has three to six million specimens.

Louisiana drivers are the second worst in the nation for cell phone usage while driving, according to a report from Life 360. Co-founder Alex Haro hopes this report drivers that using your phone can wait…
cut 12 (09) “…they’ll understand”
Haro says their report shows Louisiana drivers use their phones an average of two-point-four times every time they get behind the wheel.

Legislation has been filed for the upcoming legislative session to allow convicted felons to vote. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith is the author of the bill…
cut 9 (09) “…to vote”
Under Smith’s legislation, a convicted felon would still have to wait five years after they’ve been released from prison to vote.

Derrick Stafford, the former Marksville law enforcement officer, convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of a six-year-old autistic boy during a chase will learn his sentence today. Stafford faces up to 40 years in prison.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office will hold a press conference this afternoon at 1:30 to give up an udate on multiple break-ins that have occurred at Tioga High and Junior High school.

The “I Voted” George Rodrigue Blue Dog Sticker that was handed out to voters last year has been selling on the internet for a nice chunk of change. Secretary of State Tom Schedler…
cut 29 (11) “I’ve been there”
Now people who are selling the stickers are residents who received the sticker for voting last year not the state.

LSU baseball lost 4-0 to Texas A&M last night. The Tigers will try again tonight at 8 PM.

The Governor has released his comprehensive criminal justice legislative package. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny will attempt to push several of the proposals. He says habitual offender laws keep people in jail for the rest of their lives if they commit three violent crimes, but streamlining parole eligibility for some of the lesser offenses could help reduce the incarceration rate…:
Cut 15 (10) “not be affected” 2x
Louisiana is known as the incarceration capital of the world, and Governor Edwards has said with that comes a significant price tag.

The state Department of Corrections recommended termination for eight Elayn Hunt Correctional Center officers for the use of excessive force on an offender, and the subsequent cover up of the incident. They said six resigned in lieu of termination. Officials say this type of behavior is not acceptable and these individuals don’t represent the 99% of dedicated employees who are committed to public safety and integrity.

A measure has been filed for the legislative session that would give convicted felons, who are on parole and have been out of jail for at least five years, the right to vote. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith says these individuals are still citizens and want to contribute to society…:
Cut 8 (08) “of life”
Smith says taking away privileges for people who committed crimes solves nothing and only makes them still feel like prisoners.

The “I Voted” Blue Dog sticker craze is ongoing. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says so many people have been clamoring to get their hands on the prize for voting in the fall elections featuring the George Rodrigue art, they are even being auctioned on eBay. He says the cost was a small price to pay considering the exposure…:
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Schedler says the Rodrigue family charged the state nothing for their part in the stickers.

Governor John Bel Edwards has released his proposals on criminal justice reform to be discussed in the upcoming session. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny, who is carrying many of the bills, says one would expand incentives for inmates to participate in recidivism reducing programs, like drug and psychiatric treatment…:
CUT 14 (10) “out bad people”
The session begins April 10th.

Louisiana’s Blue Dog “I Voted” stickers ended up being an excellent investment, according to Secretary of State Tom Schedler. This was the reward citizens received for casting a ballot in the 2016 fall elections. Schedler said he had to make sure EVERYONE who voted got the precious sticker…:
Cut 4 (10) “sticker”
He said about 4 million stickers cost a well-spent $20,000.

Legislation for the upcoming session has been filed that would give convicted felons who have been out of prison for five years the right to vote. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office says the case of a dead woman who was found in a well is being investigated as suspicious. They say the victim’s sister called with a welfare concern…and later deputies located the woman’s body in a water well on a property where she went to cut grass. Deputies had been to the residence at least twice earlier on Thursday over a civil dispute involving land. The identity of the victim is not being released at this time.

A criminal justice package for the regular session has been released by Governor John Bel Edwards. Halen Doughty has more on the proposals…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Secretary of State Tom Schedler told a House panel this week that the popular “I Voted” George Rodrigue Blue Dog sticker is one of the best investments his department has made. He said it was amazing to see how people would re-purpose the Blue Dog to brag that they had voted…:
Cut 6 (06) “laptops”
He said about 4 million stickers cost a well-spent $20,000.

A measure has been filed for the legislative session that would give convicted felons, who are on parole and have been out of jail for at least five years, the right to vote. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith says many of these individuals have been out of jail for decades.:
Cut 7 (07) “is vote”
The Democrat failed with similar legislation last year that did not include the 5 year jail free stipulation.

Drivers in Louisiana use their phones behind the wheel the 2nd most in the nation. That’s according to Life360, and Co-founder Alex Haro says some people say they only text at red lights, but he insists that’s not safe either. He says the National Safety Council found divers are still distracted up to 30 seconds after using their phones…:
Cut 11 (11) “that happen”
He hopes people will eventually get the hint that cell-phone use and driving is a bad idea.

The Governor has released his criminal justice reform package that lawmakers will debate in the upcoming session. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny will attempt to push several of the proposals in an effort to lower the state’s massive prison population. He says they’ll seek to expand alternatives to incarceration…:
Cut 13 (07) “their incarceration”
The session begins April 10th.

Louisiana drivers are the second worst in the nation for cell phone usage while driving, according to a report from Life360. Co-founder Alex Haro says motorits here use their phones more than most in the US…:
Cut 10 (09) “national average”
Haro hopes this report will get more families to discuss the dangers of using cell phones while driving.

The “I Voted” George Rodrigue Blue Dog sticker was one incredible investment in outreach, according to Secretary of State Tom Schedler. Jeff Palermo reports…:
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

One of two Marksville City Marshall’s accused in the death of a 6-year-old is slated to be sentenced today. Derrick Stafford was convicted last week of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.

Three death row inmates have filed a suit after spending decades in solitary confinement at Angola. All three plaintiffs have spent more than 25 years in solitary, and Attorney Betsy Ginsberg says living in isolation for this long takes a serious toll on the inmates’ physical and mental health.

Cut 4 (08) “they experience”
The Department of Corrections has not issued a comment on the suit.

According to the Louisiana Survey, more Louisianans are optimistic about the future of the state for the first time since 2012. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab Michael Henderson says 40-percent of the respondents say they are confident state government can effectively address the state’s important problems, which is a 6 percent increase over last year.

Cut 8 (10) “increase”
A measure for the upcoming legislative session has been filed that would require TOPS recipients to pay back half of their scholarship if they leave the state after graduating. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau authored the measure and says students would have to follow through with a contractual agreement.

Cut 10 (09) “of documents”

Luneau says this would be like paying back an interest free student loan.

WalletHub finds Louisiana ranks dead last in financial literacy. Analyst Jill Gonzalez says they found the average credit score in the state is a 654, and Louisianans are not being responsible with their credit cards.

Cut 13 (09) “sooner”
She says this can cause interest payments to drag out for years.

A lawsuit seeks to change a policy at Angola that sends all death row inmates to solitary confinement, where they spend 23 hours a day in a windowless cell. Attorney Betsy Ginsberg says their 8^th amendment protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

Cut 3 (10) “solitary confinement”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a comment on the suit.

Legislation has been filed that would require TOPS recipients who leave Louisiana after graduating to pay 50-percent of their scholarship back to the state over time. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau says the goal of his bill is to keep the best and brightest in the Bayou State.

Cut 9 (10) “citizens”

For the first time since 2012, more Louisianans are optimistic about the future of the state, according to the 2017 Louisiana Survey. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab Michael Henderson says 46 percent of residents believe the state is headed in the right direction.

Cut 6 (08) “this year”

40-percent of the respondents are confident government can address the state’s problems.

A report from WalletHub find’s Louisiana is the least financially literate state in the country. Analyst Jill Gonzales says 15 percent of Louisianans don’t have a bank account at all. She adds Louisiana residents have a bad habit of spending more money than they make.

Cut 14 (10) “the minimum”

She says the average credit rating in the state is only 654.