A major winter storm is expected to sideswipe Louisiana bringing light snow and sleet to the state’s northern parishes. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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The Violence Policy Center says 47-percent of Louisiana homes have guns and the state ranks third for the highest overall gun death rates. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (31)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for five parishes in northwest and north-central Louisiana. Meteorologist C-S Ross says Bossier, Caddo, Webster, Claiborne, and Union parishes could see some winter precipitation after midnight tonight…
Ross says they are only expecting light snow and sleet to fall in Louisiana, so plan on slippery road conditions…
Cut 4 (05) “…travel headaches”
Any ice accumulation that forms north of I-20 is expected to be less than a tenth of an inch. Also, more cold weather is on its way as temperatures will drop considerably after the cold front moves through. Ross says high temperatures on Friday will be in the 30s and 40s and we’ll see a couple of nights of below-freezing temperatures, but it could be worse…
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Louisiana ranks in the top five for states with the overall highest gun death rates. According to the Violence Policy Center, the Bayou State ranks third and Government Affairs Director Kristen Rand says states with a large percentage of gun owners and weak gun laws have a higher gun death rate.
The study says 47-percent of Louisiana households have guns and a death rate of 25 per 100,000 annually.
The overall gun death rates include homicides, suicides, and fatal accidental shootings. Rand says the majority of the types of gun deaths have evolved recently.
Cut 7 (07) “…homicides as well.”
In 2020 the number of Americans killed by gunfire increased 14-percent and the spike was largely attributed to homicides. Rand says they are looking into the causes for the spike and says the pandemic was most likely a contributing factor and there was a significant increase in gun sales in 2020.
When asked what could be done to decrease gun death rates in Louisiana, which has a significant rate of gun ownership, Rand says awareness is key.
Rand also says in homes with children, gun owners need to be aware of the dangers firearms pose as well.
The top five states with the highest overall gun deaths rates are Mississippi, Wyoming, Louisiana, Alaska, and in 5th place, there’s a tie between Missouri and Alabama.
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Tiger Rag Magazine has obtained a letter from the attorneys that represent Sharon Lewis, who was recently fired from her position as LSU’s associate athletic director of football recruiting and alumni relations, which requests the opportunity for Lewis to testify before the state, in the school’s ongoing Title IX investigation.
The letter was submitted to the Louisiana State Select Committee on Women and Children, which first asked Lewis to appear in April 2021. Tiger Rag editor Adam Hunsucker says at the time, LSU wasn’t interested in working with the committee.
Cut 9 (12) “…the investigation basically.”
Now that Lewis is no longer with the University, she’s ready to testify. Hunsucker spoke with Committee chairperson, State Senator Regina Barrow, who is working to get another committee meeting on the docket as soon as possible.
Hunsucker says that Lewis’ latest move could prompt LSU to settle her case, rather than risk exposing more dirty laundry. If not, other witnesses could be moved to share their stories.
Cut 11 (06) “….and cooperate.”
Lewis filed a $50 million lawsuit in Apr. 2021, claiming LSU officials violated the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to cover up Title IX complaints. The suit also claims Lewis was a victim of retaliation for reporting allegations former LSU football coach Les Miles sexually harassed student workers.
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During a lengthy press conference, where Governor John Bel Edwards denied any wrongdoing in the aftermath of Ronald Greene’s fatal arrest, the governor expressed concern that racism played a role in the death of Greene. Edwards says he doesn’t believe if Greene was white he would have been treated that way…
Body camera video from the traffic stop in Union Parish in May of 2019 shows white troopers beating and stunning Greene, a black man who led authorities on a police chase. Edwards believes racism played a role in the fatal incident…
Cut 13 (09) “…soon as possible”
The troopers involved in the fatal arrest of Greene have been fired, but no one has yet been charged with a crime. Edwards says Greene died a violent, terrible death and the state troopers involved committed criminal acts….’
One of the troopers involved in the Greene arrest, Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, died in a car crash in 2020 shortly after learning he would be fired.