A Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy is recovering from a gunshot wound, while two suspects are dead after a shooting during a drug bust outside of an IHOP restaurant in Gretna. Sheriff Joe Lopinto says an investigation is underway into the shooting as they make sure the ballistics matches up with what witnesses have said…
Cut 5 (10) “…every single day”
The deputy is in stable condition, and is thought to have been hit by friendly fire.
A AAA study shows a third of Americans would be a lot more likely to take a road trip this summer if the price of gas remains low. AAA estimates the average price of gallon of regular this this spring will be 20 cents lower than it was last year. Fuel analyst Don Redman.
Cut 12 (11) “…traveling”
__________________________
LSU is launching the state’s largest ever education fundraising effort, aiming to raise 1.5 billion dollars for the entire LSU system. 60 percent of the funds raised will go towards academics, and the other 40 percent will fund athletics. LSU Foundation spokesperson Sarah Whitaker says giving money is an investment in the state’s future.
Cut 6 (08) “…the world”
1.35 billion will go towards academics, athletics, and alumni engagement at the flagship Baton Rouge campus, 146 million will focus on health and biomedical facilities, and 29 million will head to LSU Alexandria, Eunice, and Shreveport.

A Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy is recovering from a gunshot wound, while two suspects are dead after a shooting during a drug bust outside of an IHOP restaurant in Gretna. Sheriff Joe Lopinto believes one of his deputies was hit by friendly fire…

Cut 4 (10) “…the windows″

A passenger in the vehicle was also shot and died of his injuries at a local hospital.   The deputy is in stable condition.
The Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction for the man who fatally shot former Saints player Will Smith in a 2016 traffic dispute. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the next step would be to appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court, but says Cardell Hayes is unlikely to get relief because of a lack of objection from his attorney to the issues being raised.

Cut 15 (11) “…raise certain issues.”

Senator John Kennedy is calling on the US Attorney’s Office to pursue action against former Empire star Jussie Smollett for allegedly faking a racially motivated assault against himself. This comes after Cook County prosecutors dropped their charges against the actor.  The Senator says the Smollet case and the college admissions scandal paints a picture that shows the rich, famous, and powerful don’t have to follow the same rules as the average person.

Cut 9 (11) “…get cake.″

LSU hoops fans heading to the nation’s capital to see the Tiger take on Michigan State Friday in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament will have a warm welcome from the DC’s LSU Alumni Chapter.  Chapter secretary Ginger Gibson says while the presence of Tigers fans is noticeable, there are rival teams that are having quite a bit of visibility in the area.

Cut 12 (12) “…be Virginia Tech.”

A Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy is recovering from a gunshot wound, while two suspects are dead after a shooting during a drug bust outside of an IHOP restaurant in Gretna. Sheriff Joe Lopinto says undercover narcotics officers attempted buy drugs from a suspect, when the driver realized it was a sting, he tried to get away and backed into a deputy…

Cut 3 (11) “…on the scene.”
A passenger in the vehicle was also shot and died of his injuries at a local hospital.   The deputy is in stable condition.
LSU hoops fans heading to the nation’s capital to see the Tiger take on Michigan State Friday in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament will have a warm welcome from the DC’s LSU Alumni Chapter.  Chapter secretary Ginger Gibson says they are excited to welcome Tiger fans from Louisiana and around the nation.

Cut 10 (10) “…that we’re organizing.”

Senator John Kennedy is calling on the US Attorney’s Office to pursue action against former Empire star Jussie Smollett for allegedly faking a racially motivated assault against himself. This comes after Cook County prosecutors dropped their charges against the actor.  Kennedy says he’s encouraged by reports that the feds are stepping in where local authorities failed.
Cut 7 (08) “…the law”
The Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction for the man who fatally shot former Saints player Will Smith in a 2016 traffic dispute. Legal analyst Tim Meche says some of the actions of his legal representation did not help the case of Cardell Hayes.

Cut 14 (12) “…during the trial.”

Obamacare signups are down 15 percent in Louisiana this year, and the 93,000 enrollees mark the lowest level of participants since the individual market came online in 2014.
Enrollment is also down 57 percent from it’s high point in 2016, and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says that’s because 2016 was the year of the Medicaid expansion.
Cut 4 (12) “…program.”
A Jefferson Parish deputy was wounded and two men are dead after a shooting Wednesday night in Gretna.
According to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, the shooting happened around 10:22 p.m. outside an IHOP in the 100 block of the Westbank Expressway near Terry Parkway.
Lopinto said detectives were conducting an undercover drug purchase in the parking lot when a driver put his vehicle in reverse, striking a deputy and ramming a JPSO car. Detectives shot at the suspect’s car, striking the driver and a man sitting in a passenger seat.
The JPSO reports that the driver died at the scene. The passenger who was also shot at the scene was taken to the hospital where he later died.
LSU hoops fans heading to the nation’s capital to see the Tiger take on Michigan State Friday in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament will have a warm welcome from the DC’s LSU Alumni Chapter. Chapter secretary Ginger Gibson says the celebration starts tonight at an Irish pub near the venue for the Sweet 16 showdown. Gibson says it’s tricky to come across Louisiana flair when it’s time to a party in DC.
Cut 11 (12) “…will be played.”

The Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction for the man who fatally shot former Saints player Will Smith in a 2016 traffic dispute. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the opinion of the panel to reject all grounds of the appeal of Cardell Hayes was very thorough. The three-judge panel unanimously rejected the appeal. Hayes was sentenced to 25 years in December 2016. Meche says some of the actions of his legal representation did not help his case.

LSU basketball fans making the trip to Washington DC to see the Purple and Gold face off with Michigan State on Friday will have good company from alumni that already live in the area. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Obamacare signups are down 15 percent in Louisiana this year, and the 93,000 enrollees mark the lowest level of participants since the individual market came online in 2014.
Enrollment is also down 57 percent from it’s high point in 2016, and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says when the Medicaid expansion kicked in, many of those low income individuals qualified for Medicaid, which is free government insurance.
Cut 5 (12) “…lives.”

Senator John Kennedy is calling on the US Attorney’s Office to pursue action against former Empire star Jussie Smollett for allegedly faking a racially motivated assault against himself. The prosecution says the case against Smolett was dismissed after he agreed to a set of conditions, including 16 hours of community service and forfeiting his 10-thousand dollar bond, which means he doesn’t get it back. It’s also been reported prosecutors also took into account that it was a non-violent crime. But Kennedy still disagrees with the decision made by the Cook County state’s Attorney’s office.
Cut 8 (11) “…substantially.”

President Trump has also weighed in on the Smollett saga saying the feds will now review the case.

LSU will need its bats to wake up in Starkville as the Tigers begin a three-game series against Mississippi State tonight. Following the Tigers two-to-nothing loss to McNeese on Tuesday, the team held a players only meeting. Junior right-hander Zack Hess will get the start on the mound for the 12th ranked Tigers. Hess hopes the loss to McNeese is a turning point in their season…
Cut 18 (12) made of”

A Jefferson Parish deputy was wounded and two men are dead after a shooting Wednesday night in Gretna.
According to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, the shooting happened around 10:22 p.m. outside an IHOP in the 100 block of the Westbank Expressway near Terry Parkway.
Lopinto said detectives were conducting an undercover drug purchase in the parking lot when a driver put his vehicle in reverse, striking a deputy and ramming a JPSO car. Detectives shot at the suspect’s car, striking the driver and a man sitting in a passenger seat.
The JPSO reports that the driver died at the scene. The passenger who was also shot at the scene was taken to the hospital where he later died.
One detective was struck by police gunfire. He was also taken to University Medical Center and underwent surgery overnight. He was shot in the abdomen is listed in stable condition and is expected to fully recover.
A witness at the scene said she heard about 15 shots and was very scared.
The investigation into the shooting continues.
Senator John Kennedy says the decision by Cook County prosecutors not to pursue charges against actor Jussie Smollet, who police staged a fake hate crime, is another example of how the rich and famous get to play by a different set of rules…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction for the man who fatally shot former Saints player Will Smith in a 2016 traffic dispute. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the opinion of the panel to reject all grounds of the appeal of Cardell Hayes was very thorough.
Cut 13 (09) “…a crime novel.”

Obamacare individual market enrollment hits it’s lowest level in Louisiana since the option came online in 2014. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Senator John Kennedy is calling on the US Attorney’s Office to pursue action against former Empire star Jussie Smollett for allegedly faking a racially motivated assault against himself. This comes after Cook County prosecutors dropped their charges against the actor.
Kennedy says he’s encouraged by reports that the feds are stepping in where local authorities failed.
Cut 7 (08) “…the law”

LSU hoops fans heading to the nation’s capital to see the Tiger take on Michigan State Friday in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament will have a warm welcome from the DC’s LSU Alumni Chapter. Chapter secretary Ginger Gibson says they are excited to welcome Tiger fans from Louisiana and around the nation.
Cut 10 (10) “…that we’re organizing.”
LSU will need its bats to wake up in Starkville as the Tigers begin a three-game series against Mississippi State tonight. Following the Tigers two-to-nothing loss to McNeese on Tuesday, the team held a players only meeting.

Saints Owner Gayle Benson vowed to make changes to the NFL rulebook after the team felt they were denied a chance at playing for a Super Bowl, because of a non-pass interference call. Coach Sean Payton arrived at the NFL owners meeting earlier this week, lobbying others to allow instant replay look at pass interference calls…

Cut 7 (08) “…good about that”
NFL owners voted to expand the use of instant replay to include pass interference calls and allow for the review of a non-pass interference call.

State Fire Marshal investigators are on the case of a mobile home fire that left two children dead in the Franklinton area. Shortly after midnight, firefighters were dispatched to the home. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says deputies are conducting their investigation into the origin and cause of the fire.

Cut 4 (13) “…at this point″

Seven people have been arrested in an alleged U-Haul insurance fraud scheme that authorities say was led by 42-year-old Hayward Howard and 28-year-old Jasmine Howard. The team allegedly staged two wrecks in Orleans Parish and then filed claims against Howard’s U-Haul purchased short term insurance. So why pick U-Hauls for insurance fraud?  State Police Trooper Monroe Dillon says it’s possible the hustle may not have resulted in Howard’s premiums increasing.

Cut 13 (10) “…with this.”

20-year-old Elias Smallsreed is locked up following a multi-parish police pursuit on I-10 yesterday that ended in Baton Rouge when the suspect crashed into several cars. State Police spokesperson Taylor Scrantz says the wild episode started when a trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on Smallsreed’s vehicle but ended with him catching a litany of charges.

Cut 11 (13)   “…other traffic charges.”