The first named storm of the season has developed and he could be on his way to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has more.
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Lake Charles Police arrest a Texas man after a woman was found bound near Highway 14. Don Molino has the story…
Coastal areas should keep a close watch on the potential cyclone, and Grigsby says if you’re outside of the levee system you could be in store for some light flooding.
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The State Fire Marshal’s office continues to investigate the explosion at the Proctor and Gamble plant in Pineville claimed the life of a Jena man. The incident occurred early Thursday morning. Spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue says the explosion was contained to the incident area.
An earlier report from Proctor and Gamble said that there was no plant explosion, and the death was related to a forklift incident, but Rodrigue says investigators have confirmed that a smaller scale explosion did occur.
Rodrigue says the investigation could be quite lengthy, due to the number of factors that have to be considered.
The coroner has identified the victim as 56-year-old Allen Kendrick, who was the director of the LaSalle Parish Community Choir and former Jena High Band Director.
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Law enforcement will be ramping up their Click it Or Ticket seatbelt awareness and ticketing campaign over the Memorial Day weekend, to remind drivers about road safety. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Spokesperson Mark Lambert says while they do anticipate an increase in tickets, that’s not necessarily the goal of the campaign.
A recent report showed that drivers are more likely to not wear a seatbelt when driving at night. Lambert says that won’t keep troopers from spotting an unbuckled driver, or rider, this weekend.
13 percent of drivers have admitted in surveys to not wearing their seatbelts. Lambert says the holiday weekend would be a great time to start a potentially lifesaving behavior change.
The effort will be in conjunction with Line to Line, where Louisiana and Mississippi officers have paired together to increase patrols on I-55.
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The Public Affairs Research Council believes the temporary sales tax bill approved by the House Ways and Means Committee is the legislature’s best opportunity at raising enough revenue to pass a budget. PAR President Robert Travis Scott says the legislation can lessen the fiscal cliff by renewing one-third of an expiring one-cent sales tax, but not everyone likes it, which might be a good thing
Democrats do not support it and Governor John Bel Edwards is pushing for a sales tax bill that generates more revenue and there are Republicans who are not for higher sales taxes. But Scott says this House bill is the most viable and reasonable instrument to propel the special session toward a sensible outcome
Alexandria Representative Lance Harris is the author of the tax bill that’s waiting for a vote on the House floor. It would result in Louisiana paying a state sales tax of 4.3 percent after July 1st and it’s expected to generate 370-million dollars in revenue, but the shortfall is pegged at 648-million dollars. Scott says Harris’ bill is the best opportunity at reducing the proposed cuts within state government