PM Newscall, May 26th, 2015

Shrimp season opened just over a week ago and local shrimpers are seeing prices at the dock take a nose dive. Eric Gill as more…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Legislation to soften the penalties for those convicted multiple times for marijuana possession continue to make progress in the legislature. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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Shrimp season opened just over a week ago and local shrimpers are seeing prices at the dock take a nose dive. One shrimper says he’s getting 55-cents per pound for his catch, compared to $2 a year ago. Clint Guidry, President of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, says there is one big factor contributing to the drop in price…

CUT 3 (05)  “over 50-percent”

Guidry says an increase in imported shrimp is the main cause of the price drop. He says there was a decrease in imports the last few years because of a disease problem with southeast Asian shrimp. Guidry says these falling prices have an adverse affect the entire industry…

CUT 4 (12)  “go out anymore”

The dramatic drop in the price of shrimp is making it difficult for fishermen to pay expenses, much less make a profit. Guidry is hopeful the federal government will step in and help curb the number of imports allowed in the US. He says there is one specific way consumers can help Louisiana shrimpers…

CUT 5 (06)  “working fishermen”

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Louisiana has some of the harshest marijuana possession penalties in the country, but two bills are moving through the legislature that seek to reduce prison times for repeat offenders. Similar efforts to reduce possession penalties failed in the past, but New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says this year, the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association and the Louisiana District Attorney Association do not oppose the legislation

CUT 6 (10)  “moving forward”

The current maximum prison sentence for multiple marijuana possession offenders is 20-years, but Morrell’s which was approved by the Senate on Monday, reduces the mandatory jail time to eight years…

CUT 7 (10) “in jail”

The House has also approved a bill that reduces pot penalties. Morrell says his legislation is NOT an attempt to legalize marijuana for recreational use…

CUT 8 (07)  “through the system”

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Another round of severe weather rolled through Louisiana earlier today and State Climatologist Barry Keim says more rain is coming. He says rainfall is in the forecast for the next several days. Keim says there is at least a 50-percent chance of rain each day for the rest of the week…

CUT 9 (09)  “kind of patterns”

Keim says El Nino is the probable cause for these fronts slamming the state. He says the state has averaged about six inches of rain over the last month, but some isolated areas have gotten much more…

cut 10 (10) “above normal”

Keim says the Tangipahoa Parish town of Tickfaw has received 10.8 inches of rain over the last month, five inches above normal. He says because of a very unstable atmosphere, we could see more severe weather this week…

cut 11 (10)  “it right now”

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A bill that would ban sex selection abortions in Louisiana stalls in a Senate Judiciary Committee. The proposal by Representative Lenar Whitney would penalize doctors who knowingly end a pregnancy because of sex preference of the baby. The Houma lawmaker has argued that this is a problem in Asian communities where there is a preference for boys…:

cut 12 (10)  “you should vote no”

The vote was 2-2 so the House approved measure will not go to the Senate floor for now. New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson wasn’t happy Whitney implied that a “no” vote on her bill meant the lawmakers wanted to kill baby girls…:

cut 13 (13)  “sex selection”

Whitney says there is currently no evidence which suggests that abortions based on sex are a problem in Louisiana. Committee Chair New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says he couldn’t support the legislation without evidence that this is taking place in Louisiana…:

cut 14 (09) “timing of it”

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