A Desoto Parish lawmaker temporarily pulls his bill to impose fines on businesses that deny entry based on whether or not you’ve had COVID shots. Stonewall Republican Larry Bagley’s bill got bipartisan pushback in a House committee … like this from Baton Rouge Republican Scott McKnight…:

CUT 13(10)      “…how to run it.”

Bagley says there are concerns about whether coronavirus vaccines are safe and work as they should. After discussion, he deferred his bill for some tweaking, but says he’ll bring it back before the session ends.

Police in Slidell says they’ve identified – and arrested – 12 members of what they call a high-level drug distribution ring. The gang was moving large amounts of heroin, meth, amphetamines and fentanyl. Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal says their Operation Clean Sweep is still ongoing and more arrests are coming.

A bill that would make developing renewable energies in Louisiana more attractive to entrepreneurs passes committee and heads to the House floor. State Natural Resources Secretary Thomas Harris says some developers have passed us by because our lease acreage offered is limited to just 5-thousand acres…:

CUT 11(12)      “…do business.”

Estimate reports show a single offshore wind farm could generate up to 5-thousand jobs.

Tuesday’s fierce tornado that hit St. Bernard Parish took the life of a 25-year-old U.L.-Lafayette graduate and aerospace engineer. Connor Lambert was an Arabi native and his Chalmette High football coach, Jason Tucker, says the whole town mourns him…:

CUT 04(11)      “…will be missed.”

Lambert was in the home he’d just purchased three months ago when the tornado hit.

Legislation that would impose fines against businesses that deny a person entry based on their vaccination status runs into resistance in the House Criminal Justice Committee. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

CUT 02(34)      “…Jeff Palermo.”

For the second time this week, Interstate 10 West in West Baton Rouge Parish was closed for hours this morning due to a crash. State Police say a tour bus and a big rig collided; sending the buss careening into the median where it caught fire. One person was killed, three injured. Troopers are investigating the crash now.

The one reported fatality from Tuesday night’s tornado in the New Orleans area is identified as a 25-year-old U.L.-Lafayette graduate. Connor Lambert worked at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. His Chalmette High football coach, Jason Tucker, says Lambert was one of the good ones…:

CUT 03(06)      “…hang out with.”

During a standard press conference before his first spring practice at LSU, head coach Brian Kelly decided to put a toe in the murky legal waters of a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by associate coach Frank Wilson. Kelly told media he is in Wilson’s corner on this…:

CUT 08(10)      “…of our staff.”

Former Associate A.D. Sharon Lewis claims Wilson exposed himself to her. Kelly says her allegations are “egregious” and “unfounded.”

The tornado that ravaged the community of Arabi Tuesday night also claimed the life of 25-year-old Conner Lambert. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Legislation that would result in fines against businesses that deny a person from entering a building based on their vaccination status runs into resistance in the House Criminal Justice Committee. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (34)…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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25-year old Conner Lambert was killed Tuesday night in the tornado that struck the community of Arabi. Lambert, a UL-Lafayette graduate who worked as an engineer at Stennis Space Center is remembered fondly by his Chalmette High School football coach Jason Tucker.

Cut 3 (06) “…hang out with”

Tucker says Lambert was in the home he’d just purchased three months ago when the tornado hit. In addition to playing football at Chalmette, Lambert also excelled at track and baseball and was even a National Merit finalist.

Tucker says Lambert was very family-oriented and moved back to the area to be near his relatives, and the loss is felt throughout the community.

Cut 4 (11) “…be missed.”

Lambert not only excelled on the field at Chalmette, but Tucker says in high school he received about 15 academic scholarships and even a National Merit Scholarship from Alabama. Lambert got his engineering degree at ULL and Tucker says the loss is even more tragic because of all Lambert’s potential.

Cut 5 (08) “…great kid.”

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In the midst of a mostly-positive press conference on the eve of Brian Kelly’s first spring practice session at LSU, the new head coach chose to step into the murky legal waters surrounding the lawsuit filed by former associate athletic director Sharon Lewis. Kelly was asked directly about the status of running backs coach and associate head coach Frank Wilson who has been added to Lewis’ complaint.

 Cut 6  (12) “…status has unchanged.” 

While Wilson’s status may be unchanged with regards to his position on Kelly’s staff, LSU should be aware that Lewis amended her lawsuit earlier this month alleging that Wilson showed her his genitals and harassed another female employee as well. USA Today has reported it interviewed two other women with similar allegations against Wilson. Kelly pushed back against those reports.

Cut 7 (10) “…that were unfounded.” 

Lewis alleges the incident occurred in 2013 when Wilson was a member of Les Miles’ staff, and that she reported it to two other associate ADs at the university without any investigation made or action taken. Wilson could also be attached to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations citing a lack of institutional control within the football program over multiple years. Regardless, Kelly says he’s in Wilson’s corner.

Cut 8 (10) “…of our staff.” 

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Legislation that would make state waters more attractive to companies interested in developing wind energy projects off of the state’s coastline is headed to the House floor. Houma Representative Jerome Zeringue says he supports oil and gas production but also recognizes alternative energy is coming

Cut 9 (10) “…jobs”

Zeringue says a recent study shows a single offshore wind project could generate over five-thousand jobs.

The House bill would increase the maximum size of a lease from five thousand to 25-thousand acres. Larose Representative Joseph Orgeron says wind turbines need more space than oil and gas rigs

Cut 10 (09)  “…appropriately.”

Louisiana Natural Resources Secretary Thomas Harris says he’s heard from several wind energy developers but decided not to do business because of the current five-thousand-acre limit…

Cut 11 (12)  “…do business.”  

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A proposal to make it a crime to deny someone entrance into a building based on their vaccination status received a hearing today in a House committee, but even Republican lawmakers who oppose vaccine mandates had issues with the measure. The bill’s author, Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley, blames the COVID vaccine for his recent heart attack…

Cut 12 (12) “…heart attack.” 

Bagley says since there are concerns over the safety of the COVID vaccine and its effectiveness, businesses, and schools should not require people to be vaccinated. But Baton Rouge Representative Scott McKnight doesn’t like the bill because it’s telling businesses what to do

Cut 13 (10) “…to run it”

Bagley’s bill called for fines if a person or business denied a person entry into a building based on their vaccination status. Mandeville Representative Richard Nelson is not comfortable with the potential penalties…

Cut 14 (09)  “..this work”  

Bagley voluntarily deferred his bill, but plans to present a revised version later in the session.

The National Weather Service says the Arabi tornado was the strongest in history to hit the New Orleans area and it also claimed the life of 25-year-old Conner Lambert. Chalmette football coach Jason Tucker who coached Lambert in high school says the loss is even more tragic because of all Lambert’s potential.

Cut 5 (08) “…great kid.”

A proposal to make it a crime to deny someone entrance into a building based on their vaccination status received a hearing today in a House committee, but even Republican lawmakers who oppose vaccine mandates had issues with the measure. The bill’s author, Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley, blames the COVID vaccine for his recent heart attack…

Cut 12 (12) “…heart attack.” 

The bill called for fines if a person is denied entry based on their vaccination status.

Legislation to make state waters more attractive to companies interested in developing wind energy projects off the state’s coastline is headed to the House floor. The bill would increase the maximum size of a lease from five thousand to 25-thousand acres. Larose Representative Joseph Orgeron says wind turbines need more space than oil and gas rigs.

Cut 10 (09)  “…appropriately.”

During a mostly positive press conference on the eve of Brian Kelly’s first spring practice at LSU, the new head coach chose to step into the murky legal waters surrounding the lawsuit filed by former associate athletic director Sharon Lewis. USA Today has reported it interviewed two other women with similar allegations against Frank Wilson. Kelly pushed back against those reports.

Cut 7 (10) “…that were unfounded.” 

The tornado that ravaged the community of Arabi Tuesday night also claimed the life of 25-year-old Conner Lambert. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

–

Legislation that would make state waters more attractive to companies interested in developing wind energy projects is headed to the House floor. Houma Representative Jerome Zeringue supports oil and gas production but recognizes alternative energy is coming.

Cut 9 (10) “…jobs”

–

In the midst of a mostly-positive press conference on the eve of Brian Kelly’s first spring practice session at LSU, the new head coach chose to step into the murky legal waters surrounding the lawsuit filed by former associate athletic director Sharon Lewis. Kelly was asked directly about the status of running backs coach and associate head coach Frank Wilson who has been added to Lewis’ complaint.

Cut 6 (12) “…status has unchanged.”

While Wilson’s status may be unchanged with regards to his position on Kelly’s staff, LSU should be aware that Lewis amended her lawsuit earlier this month alleging that Wilson showed her his genitals and harassed another female employee as well.

Tuesday’s tornado in Arabi claimed the life of 25-year-old Conner Lambert. Chalmette High School football coach Jason Tucker says his former player who also graduated from ULL, was very family-oriented and moved back to the area to be near his relatives.

Cut 4 (11) “…be missed.”

Lambert worked as an engineer at Stennis Space Center.

Governor John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency for four parishes affected by Tuesday’s storms and tornados. Edwards says residents can help to speed up recovery aid by taking digital photos of damage to their homes and share that information with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness.

Cut  11 (10)  “…go to ‘damage.la.gov’.”  

The parishes include St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany.

Many Hurricane Laura and Delta victims are still battling with their insurance companies and that’s why Alexandria Representative Ed Larvadain has filed a bill to create a Fraud Prevention Authority to investigate claims of fraud following named storms. Eric Holl with Real Reform Louisiana says the authority is modeled after a task force that investigates automobile theft and insurance fraud…

Cut 5 (11) “…or prosecuted.”
The House Insurance Committee has approved this bill and heads to the House floor for more discussion.

New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis wants to limit the release of mugshots in an effort to prevent those who are innocent from the public embarrassment that it can impose.

Cut 7 (12) “…to the public.”

The measure passed out of a House committee and heads to the House floor.

Governor Edwards declares a state of emergency for four southeast Louisiana parishes affected by Tuesday’s tornadoes. Edwards spoke with the media after surveying the damage in Arabi. The governor says teams will make their best estimate of damage to homes and businesses, to prepare the state’s request for FEMA assistance…:
Cut 10 (11) “…from the federal government.”
The National Weather Service says the approximate path of the tornado is 11 miles stretching from Gretna to Arabi. About 150 homes were significantly damaged in St. Bernard and one person was killed.

The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Conner Lambert who graduated from U-L Lafayette and worked as an engineer at Stennis Space Center. Chalmette football coach Jason Tucker…
cut 3 (06) “….hangout without”
Tucker says Lambert purchased his home that was completely destroyed just three months ago.

A bill that would restrict law enforcement from releasing to the media mug shots of people who are arrested is heading to the House floor. New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis says mug shots are sometimes used to shame people, even though they have not been convicted. Duplessis believes Louisiana should follow the U-s Marshal’s Service’s policy…
cut 8 (09) “…..invasion of privacy”
The House Governmental Affairs Committee voted 11 to 1 in favor of the bill and it faces another discussion on the House floor.

Since the start of the pandemic, home food delivery has become a bigger part of our lives. But record-high gas prices are impacting drivers. So Waitr has implemented a new GasCard program, giving drivers 5% off on gas from all major gas stations. Chris Barnes, the company’s director of driver experience…
cut 14 (10) “…time of purchase”
Barnes says GasCard program will continue even when gas prices go back down.

Governor John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency for four parishes affected by Tuesday’s storms and tornados. Edwards says residents can help to speed up recovery aid by taking digital photos of damage to their homes or businesses and share that information with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness.

Cut  11 (10)  “…go to ‘damage.la.gov’.”  

A bill to create a board entitled the Louisiana Named Storm Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority passes in House Insurance on a seven to five vote. Bill author, Alexandria Representative Ed Larvadain says residents are tired of dealing with insurance fraud from hurricanes and the bill creates a 19-member authority.

Cut 4 (08)  “…will look at that.”

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon spoke in opposition of the bill.

New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis wants to limit the release of mugshots in Louisiana, in an effort to prevent those who are innocent from the public embarrassment it can impose. But legal counsel for the Louisiana Press Association, Scott Sternberg says the bill is too broad. He advocates placing a charge on booking photos to eliminate the majority of mugshots released.

Cut 9 (11)  “…wanna do.”

The bill passed on an 11 to 1 vote in House Governmental Affairs and now heads to the House floor.

High gas prices are also impacting those who work for delivery services like Waitr. So, director of driver experience for the company Chris Barnes says they now have a GasCard program to help drivers save five-percent. Barnes says even when gas prices go down, drivers can still save at the pump.

Cut 15 (09)  “…excited about that.”

Governor Edwards declares a state of emergency for four parishes hit by Tuesday night’s tornadoes. Kevin Gallagher has more…:
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

The governor returns to southeast Louisiana today to talk with homeowners and business owners who are still fighting with their insurance companies following the 2020 and 2021 hurricanes. Edwards will hold two insurance reform roundtable discussions today, one in New Orleans and the other in Larose.

The House Insurance Committee approves a bill on a seven to five vote that would create the Louisiana Named Storm Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority which will work to prevent insurance fraud for home and business owners affected by a tropical storm or hurricane. But Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says such a board is not needed, because his department already looks into such matters…
cut 6 (07) “….in my opinion”
The measure still passed on a seven to five vote and heads to the House floor for more discussion.

Since the start of the pandemic, home food delivery has become a bigger part of our lives. Chris Barnes, with Waitr, says soaring fuel costs have impacted operations.
Cut 13 (11) “…everyone and everything.”
Barnes says to help with the high fuel prices they have established a gas card program that will save drivers’ money on fuel.