U.S. Senator John Kennedy supports a bill in Congress to reduce federal excise taxes on small breweries. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Drug felons will be eligible for food stamps under a measure that won final legislative passage. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Two longtime SEC college baseball rivals will meet this weekend for the right to go to the College World Series. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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U.S. Senator John Kennedy is backing legislation in Congress to support small breweries in Louisiana by reducing their federal excise taxes. Kennedy says the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2017 helps to grow jobs and the economy by creating a fair and comprehensive tax structure for small independent brewers.

Cut 4  (09) “in Louisiana”

Kennedy, who is a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, says there are over 52-hundred breweries in the U.S. and if the bill passes it would create 9-thousand jobs in the first year.

Cut 5  (10)  “been forgotten”

Kennedy says the bill would reduce the federal excise tax to $3.50 per barrel on the first 60-thousand barrels and reducing the federal excise tax to 16-dollars on the first 6 million barrels for all other brewers.

Cut 6 (10) “their backs”

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The sister of the missing 18-year-old from Lafayette is pleading for answers in the case of their beloved family member known as “Daisy Lynn.” Jacqueline Landry left home with a friend on May 23rd and has not been heard from since. Her oldest sister, Lori Sonnier, says they’d do anything to have Daisy Lynn back home…:

Cut 7 (07)  “still missing”

Twenty-two-year-old Malik Davis of Lafayette has been charged with second degree murder in connection with Daisy Lynn’s disappearance. But Sonnier says they still don’t have any answers or closure. She says law enforcement hasn’t kept them up to date to avoid jeopardizing the investigation.

Cut 8 (10) “those details”

Sonnier says she’s trying to keep faith that she will have answers in the end. Teams of volunteers and rescue crews are searching for the missing girl. She says Daisy Lynn is the youngest of four sisters, and this has been a terrible ordeal for the entire family.

Cut 9 (11)  “many years”

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A state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist says they are receiving an increase in calls from the public who are concerned about foxes near their home. Melissa Collins says it is normal to see foxes in urban areas. Collins says it’s unlikely they will attack humans and they tend to stay away from pets.

Cut 10 (10) “squirrels”

LDWF is holding an informational meeting tonight in Lafayette on urban foxes and nuisance wildlife control. Collins says these foxes are attracted to fruits and vegetables, which is important to know if you have a garden. She says it is likely people can expect to continue to see an increase in the fox population.

Cut 11 (10) “over time”

Collins says if you come across a fox in your neighborhood, be cautious, but these animals usually don’t come up humans. She says do not to feed them, because many times that tempts them to stay close to your home.

Cut 12 (09) “sprinklers”

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Drug felons will soon be eligible to receive food stamps upon their release from jail. In the 90s, offenders with drug related charges were barred from the program for one year after their release. The bill by New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno lifts that ban. LSU School of Public Health criminologist Dr. Peter Scharf says this takes away one of the obstacles that prevent offenders from reentering their community.

Cut 13 (09) “are taken away”

Louisiana incarcerates more people per capita than any other place in the world. Scharf says one reason for that is because too many offenders return to prison shortly after being released. He says this bill is a step in the right direction toward addressing that problem.

Cut 14 (09) “might not recidivate”

Scharf says this gives newly released inmates the chance to get back on their feet, which means they are less likely to return to prison. Opponents to the measure raised concerns offenders might sell their food stamps to continue their drug habit. Scharf says while that is a possibility, it’s less of a risk than the alternative.

Cut 15 (09) “back to jail”

The measure finally passed on a 67 to 26 vote in the House.

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One of the best rivalries in college baseball writes an exciting new chapter this weekend as LSU meets Mississippi State in the Super Regionals. There’s added intrigue, because former Tigers hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Andy Cannizaro is the head coach of the Bulldogs. But LSU skipper Paul Mainieri says the main motivation for his squad is advancing to Omaha…

Cut 16 (15)  “to win”

Cannizaro took the head coaching job at Mississippi State in November and there’s been reports Mainieri was miffed over how the former Tulane standout left LSU. But the Tigers veteran head coach says that’s not the case

 cut 17 (10) “Mississippi State”

LSU swept Mississippi State in a three-game series to finish off the regular season. During the weekend in Starkville, the Tigers clinched an SEC West championship and an SEC Title. Mainieri says what happened in May shouldn’t impact what happens this weekend….

Cut 18 (18) “trophy case” 

Last year, LSU was swept by eventual national champion Coastal Carolina in the Super Regionals. Shortstop Kramer Robertson says the loss in the Supers last year has him motivated to get to the College World Series this year…

Cut 19 (12) “happen again”

A Denham Springs man is behind bars after a missing massage therapist’s body was discovered in a vacant building. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Bills heading to the governor’s desk will implement the criminal justice reform lawmakers promised at the start of the regular session. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Livingston Parish Sheriff deputies arrest a Denham Springs man following the discovery of a missing massage therapist’s body in an abandoned building. Sheriff Jason Ard says 24-year-old Kayla Ann Denham of Baton Rouge never returned from a home visit in Denham Springs, where she was meeting first-time client Christopher Landry for a massage. Ard says detectives searched the residence near where the girl’s vehicle was found.

Cut 3 (11) “on the property”

The 22-year-old Landry is booked at the Livingston Parish Detention Center for obstruction of justice and second degree murder. Ard says the charges could be upgraded as the investigation unfolds. He says the victim did not know the suspect, and this was the first time they had met.

Cut 4  (08) “drug charges”

Ard says they still have a lot of unanswered questions and the investigation is ongoing. He asks the public to keep the family of the victim in their thoughts during this difficult time.

Cut 5  (10)  “to the family”

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Bills seeking to reform the state’s criminal justice system are heading to the governor’s desk. The measures implement sentencing reform for some offenders and offer parole eligibility for more inmates. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala spoke in opposition because he says the state’s high incarceration rate is driven by crime.

Cut 6 (10) “isn’t even close”

But Houma Representative Tanner Magee disagrees. Supporters of the governor’s criminal justice reform package say it will help reduce the state’s inmate population by 10-percent over the next decade. Magee says these bills will do just that.

Cut 7 (10)  “number one”

One measure would provide parole eligibility for about 160 murderers convicted in the 1970s. Magee says the law at the time said these offenders would have parole eligibility after 20 years. He says the legislature later removed that eligibility, and this measure simply rights that wrong.

Cut 8 (10) “40 years” (2x)

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Students with disabilities will now be protected from corporal punishment in public schools after a measure to prohibit the spanking of children with ADHD and other developmental disabilities received final legislative approval. Mom of an autistic child in St. Charles Parish, Allison Badgerow, says teachers physically restraining her son to say the pledge of allegiance significantly set him back.

Cut 9 (09)  “restraining him”

Badgerow says in a school where physical punishments were allowed, her son was showing violent behaviors. But she says her family moved to another town where corporal punishment is not permitted and her son is thriving.

Cut 10 (11) “three weeks”

Michelle Hurst with the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council also voiced her support for the measure. She says often times students with limited social or communication skills possess more intense and challenging behaviors.

Cut 11 (09) “strategies”

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A bill to allow public school students to bring sunscreen to school and apply it themselves without a doctor’s note heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Sarah Gray of Baton Rouge who heads a skin cancer awareness foundation advocated for the passage of this bill because it protects our kids.

Cut 12 (07) “as well”

Gray says studies have found the regular use of sunscreen can significantly reduce someone’s risk of skin cancer.

Cut 13 (09) “skin cancer”

Gray says along with hats, sunglasses, and long sleeve shirts, it’s sunscreen that protects us for damaging UV rays.

Cut 14 (08) “apply sunscreen”

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