There’s an effort to allow voters to decide if recreational marijuana should be legalized and decriminalized in Louisiana. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
_______________________________
Body camera footage from an incident last year involving LSU receiver Koy Moore and Baton Rouge Police is released to the public. Matt Doyle has more on the incident that led to Moore filing a complaint.
____________________________
President Biden’s infrastructure plan could make passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans a reality. Jeff Palermo has more.
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
____________________________
Mandeville Representative Richard Nelson files legislation to legalize and decriminalize recreational marijuana in Louisiana but wants the final decision to be made by the voters. Nelson says about 16 states have legalized cannabis and most have done so by ballot initiative.
The measure would have to require two-thirds of members of the House and Senate’s approval, plus more than 50-percent of voters. Nelson says if the majority vote in favor, marijuana would be decriminalized across the state.
Nelson says most lawmakers he’s spoken with are open to allowing their constituents to vote on legalization and if approved it would most likely go on the fall ballot of 2022.
A recent survey shows that two-thirds of residents support the legalization of marijuana in Louisiana.
_____________________________
Baton Rouge Police released body camera footage showing an encounter last year between officers and LSU receiver Koy Moore that led to Moore filing a complaint against the officers.
The footage shows Moore and a friend hiding behind a truck as police broke up a late-night party. They are then approached by an officer who tells them to put their hands on a truck before moments later pulling a gun on the two. BRPD Chief Murphy Paul…
Two officers then pat down Moore and the other man, search the area for contraband, find none, and allow Moore and the other man to leave.
Audio from the body camera shows Moore telling an officer that he was scared and upset that a gun was pulled on him and he was searched while he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Paul confirmed the two did nothing wrong…
The incident took place on November 8th around 2 AM. Police say they were responding to noise complaints related to a roughly 200 person party that was happening on the top deck of a parking garage.
There’s audio of an officer explaining to Moore that hiding behind a vehicle looked suspicious and he feared for his life. Paul says the officers’ intent was not malicious, but both were given letters of reprimand.
____________________
Speaker Pro-Tem Tanner Magee says the legislative response to the LSU scandal will be in the form of mandatory reporting bills, for example, if you fail to report a sexual assault you can be terminated. Because legislators can only submit five bills that aren’t funding-related.
Magee says we should see a more comprehensive response in the next session, but he has heard that some legislators are looking to limit LSU’s funding this session.
Magee says due to the university’s lack of transparency over the alleged Title IX violations it could keep the school from receiving funding for things that LSU needs like a new library and science building. Magee says ultimately, it’s the students who are punished and not those responsible.
The session begins on Monday.
_____________________________
Included in President Biden’s two trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal is funding for passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Baton Rouge Area Foundation VP John Spain says passenger rail would be perfect for professionals who commute between the two cities. They can get a bite to eat and get some work done while traveling, whereas…
Spain adds the rail system could come in handy for moving people out of harm’s way during hurricanes.
Spain says another big benefit of the line would be for Baton Rouge residents who need to fly out of Louis Armstrong International…
Spain says polls show 60-80 percent of southeast Louisiana residents support the construction of the line.
Spain says travel from the Capital to the Cresent City would take about 45 minutes to an hour and they’d likely start with eight to ten round trips per day, and increase over the first few years.
The proposed line would feature stops in Baton Rouge, Gonzales, LaPlace, Louis Armstrong International, and New Orleans just blocks from the Superdome.