Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency after severe weather killed two people and produced damage over much of the state yesterday and early this morning. The two fatalities were in St. Martin Parish, when a trailer flipped over killing two people, including a three-year-old girl. St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s office spokesperson, Major Ginny Higgins, says a little boy left the trailer to go next door just moments before the twister struck…
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We’re getting reports of major damage from central and north Louisiana. In Franklin Parish, Sheriff Kevin Cobb says limbs ripped from trees and flying debris downed power lines and injured one person…
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Governor Edwards will survey storm damage today in Rapides and St. Martin Parishes.

A state lawmaker wants the public to decide whether speed enforcement cameras should be legal. Halen Doughty has more…
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There’s also a couple of bills filed for the regular session that raises the mininum GPA to receive the TOPS scholarship to 3.0. Currently, high school students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 to be eligible for the state funded scholarship program. These bills will be discussed in the legislative session that begins next week.

Severe weather across the state resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries, as well as road closures and downed power lines. Maj. Ginny Higgins with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office says two people were killed when an EF1 tornado touched down in a rural area of the parish.
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One of the victims was a three-year-old.

Meanwhile, the recovery continues from the deadly floods last August. An online donation website called Crowdrelief is trying to provide financial assistance and they asking flood victims to register at their website, so they can recieve much needed resources. Rob Gaudet says this campaign will change the lives of all involved…
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To donate or apply for assistance, visit Crowd-relief-dot-net.

A state lawmaker is proposing a constiutional amendment that would ask voters if they want speed cameras in Louisiana. The measure would need two-thirds legislative approval and Covington Representative Paul Hollis says if he’s able to get his proposal through the legislature, he thinks voters will approve it…
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Another bill up for discussion in the regular session is a measure that requires more training for police officers to help de-escalate encounters with the public. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James’ bill also has a provision to revoke an officer’s training certification after certain disciplinary actions…
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These measures will be debated in the legislative session that begins next week.

The controversial speed enforcement cameras will be discussed once again in the upcoming legislative session, as a Covington lawmaker wants to see them gone. Representative Paul Hollis only a few cities in Louisiana use the cameras which he calls money grabs…:
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He says these cameras deny people the right to confront their accuser.

A software engineer has designed a website that creates personal narratives for flood victims and matches them with online donors for household items. Rob Gaudet says people can visit the site and either sign up for assistance or apply to be a contributor…:
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Gaudet says over 120 flood victims have already completed the initial surveys, online at CrowdRelief.net.

The rising popularity of essential oils for massaging, air fresheners and medicinal purposes is posing a greater risk to children. Emelie Gunn has more on why…:
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CLECO reports there are still about 8500 customers affected by outages following the strong severe storms that blew through Sunday and last night. Entergy says they are still working to get the lights back on for just over 11,000 customers. The National Weather Service is continue to survey the damage throughout the state, and they did confirm this morning that the fatal tornado that took the lives of a 3-year-old and her mother was an EF-1.

A state lawmaker wants the public to decide whether speed enforcement cameras should be legal. Halen Doughty has more…:
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The National Weather Service has confirmed it was an EF-1 tornado that struck Breaux Bridge Sunday which caused a trailer to flip and a 3-year-old and her mother to lose their lives. That type of twister packs winds of 110 miles per hour. Forecasters say they are surveying Rapides Parish today for the damage there.

Baton Rouge Representative Ted James has prefiled a bill for the upcoming session that would strengthen training requirements for police officers. He says, in response to the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling, lawmakers need to discuss how de-escalation tactics should be improved.
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James is optimistic this modernized training can help ease tensions and build trust between law enforcement and the public.

Doctors are warning parents about the dangers of the popular oils used in homes as air fresheners due to the risk they pose to children. Louisiana Poison Center Managing Director Dr. Mark Ryan says if you suspect your child has gotten a hold of a plug-in freshener with essential oils, the symptoms will be obvious…:
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He says if that happens, call poison control right away.

Speed enforcement cameras would be taken down around the state, under a proposal to be discussed in the regular session. Covington Representative Paul Hollis says these cameras deny people their constitutional right to confront their accuser….:
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The constitutional amendment will need a two-thirds vote approval by the legislature and then go on a ballot for the public to decide.

Most of the state has seen the end of the wicked storms that blew through Sunday, but much of south and central Louisiana remain under a flash flood watch through 3pm this afternoon. Damage assessments are being made now this Monday morning, and many are in the dark with Cleco reporting over 10,000 customers don’t have power, and Entergy has over 12,000 outages. Crews are working to clean up downed trees and power lines. A suspected tornado claimed the life of a 3-year-old and her mother in Breaux Bridge as the two slept in a trailer.

The online donation campaign CrowdRelief is working to replace items families lost in the floods. Founder Rob Gaudet says flood victims can fill out a survey online, and then a CrowdRelief volunteer will meet with them to hear their story and take pictures of their rebuilding…:
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To donate or apply for assistance, visit CrowdRelief.net.

The popularity of essential oils are on the rise for massages and air fresheners, but they also pose a greater risk to children. Louisiana Poison Center Managing Director Dr. Mark Ryan says more and more children are easily getting into air fresheners…:
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He says accidentally ingesting these oils can lead to seizures or liver damage.

Strong storms ripped through the state last night, but the line continues to move off to our east. 9 parishes in far southeast Louisiana are those that remain under a tornado watch through nine this morning. Flash flood watches span most of the bottom half of the state.

A measure in the Governor’s proposed criminal justice package for the regular session seeks to improve police training. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James authors a bill that strengthens requirements for the Council on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST. James says this bill requires all officers to complete 400 hours of this training, with an additional 20 hours annually…:
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He is optimistic this modernized training can help ease tensions and build trust between law enforcement and the public.

You can now donate household items to flood victims through the new online donation campaign CrowdRelief. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office says a three year old and her mother died after a suspected tornado flipped over the trailer they were in Breaux Bridge. They have been identified as 38-year-old Francine Gotch, and her daughter, 3-year-old Nevaeh Alexander.

The former Marksville officer who fatally shot a 6-year-old boy has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars. Derrick Stafford testified he didn’t know the little boy was in the vehicle when he fired his weapon after a car chase. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says it’s a lengthy sentence for a terrible mistake.

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Stafford faced a maximum sentence of 60 years.

The first 8 blocks of Bourbon Street will undergo their first renovation in nearly a century. After French Quarter fest, city officials say crews will begin the $6 million project of replacing the roadway and water lines two blocks at a time. Each segment is expected to take 60 days to complete, and the entire project is projected to finish up by the end of the year.

Louisiana is one step close to getting flood recover dollars into the hands of flood victims, as HUD has approved the state’s spending plan for the federal funds. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves is disappointed the state does not have a contractor lined up yet. The Governor expects to have a program manager in place in the coming weeks, and funds are expected to start rolling out shortly after.

GOHSEP, the Louisiana National Guard and other key state agencies are taking part in an Emergency Response Exercise today…

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