New Orleans’ historic newspaper, The Times Picayune has been purchased by their Baton Rouge based rival, The Advocate. Employees of the Picayune and it’s online service, Nola.com, have been given 60 days notice that they will be fired, and it is not certain how many, if any of them will be retained in the new publication. Some say it’s a sign of an increasingly unfriendly job market for would-be journalists, but veteran journalist Len Apcar is optimistic.
Cut 8 (11) “…work out”
The merger will use “brands and features of both publications” starting in June.
Vice President Mike Pence says he’s inspired by the faith that continues to be shown in St. Landry Parish where three historically black churches burned down by a suspected arsonist.
Cut 5 (14) “…the country”
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Legislation that would require Louisiana businesses to provide employees with paid leave to deal with family or medical issues cleared its first legislative hurdle. Bossier City Senator Barrow Peacock says businesses could be left paying higher taxes, if there’s not enough money to cover all the requests for paid family leave.
Cut 10 (08) “…that difference”
The measure heads to Senate Finance, because it requires a small payroll tax paid by both the employee and employer.
The LA Wallet app, which allows Louisiana drivers to present their license on their smartphone, is now free, but only until the end of May. OMV field administrator Paige Paxton says law enforcement will also accept the app as a valid ID, but..
Cut 14 (07) “…at that time.”

An Atlanta sports writer is stiring the pot with some harsh comments about the Superdome being a dump. This comes after news broke that the New Orleans icon was set to begin the first phase of a 450 million dollar renovation. Jeff Schultz covers the Falcons for new digital publication The Atlantic said “I love the city, the food and the people but there’s two things I know about the New Orleans. 1, the stadium is a dump, and 2, 450 million won’t fix that.”
The Saints ranked number for overall gameday satisfaction the last two years according to the NFL’s Observation program.
Former Pelicans Head Coach Monty Williams is a head coach again in the NBA. Williams has agreed to a five-year contract with the Phoenix Suns. The 47-year-old was the head coach in New Orleans for five seasons, leading the franchise to two playoff apperances. He’s currently an assistant coach with the 76ers.
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The 14th ranked LSU baseball team begins an important weekend series against 15th ranked Ole Miss tonight. The two teams have identical 13-8 records in the SEC, two games back of Arkansas for first place in the West division. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri says the Rebels like to steal bases, they’ve swiped 76 bags on the season…
cut 17 (10) “curtail it”
Louisiana Tech looks to snap a five-game losing streak tonight when they begin a series at Old Dominion. The Bulldogs have scored nine runs during the five-game losing streak.
The Ragin Cajuns will try to snap a seven-game losing streak when they visit Coastal Carolina. ULM is home to take on U-T Arlington.
Southeastern Louisiana is in a tie for first place in the Southland as they begin a weekend series at Lamar. The Lions are 14-and-7 in conference play, tied with Sam Houston. Lamar has the worst conference record at 7-and-17.

Vice President Mike Pence says he’s inspired by the faith that continues to be shown in St. Landry Parish where three historically black churches burned down by a suspected arsonist. The son of a sheriff’s deputy, 21-year-old Holden Matthews, has been charged with setting fire to the churches. An extensive investigation led by the State Fire Marshal’s office led to Matthews’ capture and Pence applauded the hard work of the investigators…
Cut 4 (11) “…to justice”
Pence made his comments in the front of the ruins of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas.
The LA Wallet app, which allows Louisiana drivers to present their license on their smartphone, is now free, but only until the end of May. OMV field administrator Paige Paxton says the app is accepted at many locations in place of a traditional physical identification card.
Cut 13 (12) “…couple of elections.”
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New Orleans’ historic newspaper, The Times Picayune has been purchased by their Baton Rouge based rival, The Advocate. The Advocate has published a daily paper in New Orleans since 2012, and the merger will use “brands and features of both publications” starting in June. Veteran Journalist Len Apcar thinks the new publication will feature the strengths of both of the previous papers.
Cut 7 (08) “…merger.”
The Picayune traces it’s roots back 182 years, and gained widespread acclaim for continuing to report on Hurricane Katrina online even as the paper’s building was surrounded by water.
Legislation that would require Louisiana businesses to provide employees with paid leave to deal with family or medical issues cleared its first legislative hurdle. The Senate Labor committee approved the measure 4 – 1. This new dad believes its a great idea.
Cut 9 (11) “…exception.“.

New Orleans’ historic newspaper, The Times Picayune has been purchased by their Baton Rouge based rival, The Advocate. Manship School Professor Len Apcar, a 40 years veteran journalist who’s worked at the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, says the merger will increase the quality of reporting in the Crescent City.
Cut 6 (08) “…years.”
Employees of the Picayune and it’s online service, Nola.com, have been given 60 days notice that they will be fired.
Legislation that would require Louisiana businesses to provide employees with paid leave to deal with family or medical issues cleared its first legislative hurdle. Bossier City Senator Barrow Peacock was the only “no” vote in Senate Labor. Dawn Starns state director of the National Federation of Independent Business also object to the measure…
Cut 11 (08) “…about that.”
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Vice President Mike Pence says the way religious leaders are working towards rebuilding the St. Landry Parish churches burned down by a suspected arsonist is inspirational. Connor Ferrill has the story…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Connor Ferrill”
The National Weather Service says two small tornadoes are responsible for the property damage that occurred yesterday in the DeSoto Parish towns of Mansfield and Stanley. There’s another chance for severe weather tomorrow for much of south Louisiana.

Vice President Mike Pence says he’s inspired by the faith that continues to be shown in St. Landry Parish where three historically black churches burned down by a suspected arsonist. Pence made his comments in the front of the ruins of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas.
Cut 3 (11) “…express that to you ”
The son of a sheriff’s deputy, 21-year-old Holden Matthews, has been charged.
New Orleans’ historic newspaper, The Times Picayune has been purchased by their Baton Rouge based rival, The Advocate. Employees of the Picayune and it’s online service, Nola.com, have been given 60 days notice that they will be fired. Some say it’s a sign of an increasingly unfriendly job market for journalists, but veteran journalist Len Apcar is optimistic.
Cut 8 (11) “…work out”
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Legislation that would require Louisiana businesses to provide employees with paid leave to deal with family or medical issues cleared its first legislative hurdle, but not without some opposition. Bossier City Senator Barrow Peacock says businesses could be left paying higher taxes, if there’s not enough money to cover all the requests for paid family leave
Cut 10 (08) “…that difference”
The measure heads to Senate Finance, because it requires a small payroll tax paid by both the employee and employer.
The LA Wallet app, which allows Louisiana drivers to present their license on their smartphone, is now free, but only until the end of May. The app normally requires a $5.99 fee to activate a license. OMV field administrator Paige Paxton says the offer is not just a 30-day free trial.
Cut 12 (06) “…of their license.”

Vice President Mike Pence is in St. Landry Parish this hour meeting with religious leaders who suffered through the anguish of seeing three churches burned down by a suspected arsonist, who is now facing hate crime charges. Before Pence left, here’s what he said at the White House about the recent attacks on religious buildings…
cut 5 (11) “…churches in Louisiana”
Pence visited Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, which burned down about a month ago.

Through the month of May, Louisiana residents can download the LA Wallet app and activate their license for free in an effort to get more people to use the service. OMV field administrator Paige Paxton says law enforcement will accept digital license as a valid I-D, but you should hang on to your physical I-D as well…
cut 14 (07) “…at that time”
Louisiana is the first state to allow the use of a smartphone app as a picture ID.

The flagship newspaper of New Orleans, The Times Picayune, has been purchased by their Baton Rouge rival, The Advocate. Matt Doyle talked with a veteran reporter about the merger…
cut 2 (30) I’m Matt Doyle”

The National Weather Service says two small tornadoes are responsible for the property damage that occurred yesterday in the DeSoto Parish towns of Mansfield and Stanley. There’s another chance for severe weather tomorrow for much of south Louisiana.

Legislation that would require Louisiana businesses to provide employees with paid leave to deal with family or medical issues cleared its first legislative hurdle. The Senate Labor committee approved the measure on a 4-to-1 vote after hearing about the benefits of the proposal. This new dad believes its a great idea.
Cut 9 (11) “…exception.“.
The revenue would create a fund within the Louisiana Workforce Commission to provide the temporary paid leave. The measure heads to Senate Finance next.
The LA Wallet app, which allows Louisiana drivers to present their license on their smartphone, is now free until the end of May. OMV field administrator Paige Paxton says the app is accepted at many locations in place of a traditional physical identification card.
Cut 13 (12) “…couple of elections.”
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New Orleans’ historic newspaper, The Times Picayune has been purchased by their Baton Rouge based rival, The Advocate.
The Picayune traces it’s roots back 182 years, and gained widespread acclaim for continuing to report on Hurricane Katrina online even as the paper’s building was surrounded by water.
The Advocate has published a daily paper in New Orleans since 2012, and the merger will use “brands and features of both publications” starting in June. Apcar thinks the new publication will feature the strengths of both of the previous papers.
Cut 7 (08) “…merger.”
Employees of the Picayune and it’s online service, Nola.com, have been given 60 days notice.