The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a Vidalia man for human trafficking. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Louisiana lottery officials say tickets are selling fast for the $800 million Powerball drawing Saturday night. Marsanne Golsby has more.
Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Marsanne Golsby.”
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Congressman Garret Graves announces some federal help for Louisiana’s struggling wild-caught shrimp industry. Kevin Gallagher mas more…:
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Vidalia man for human trafficking. CPSO spokesperson Brandy Spears says their Cyber Crime Unit began working on the case on Monday and on Wednesday they located 45-year-old Quentin Smith in Fayette, Mississippi.
Cut 4 (11) “…narcotics to underage victims.”
Smith is accused of transporting the victims to locations in Concordia Parish and Adams County, Mississippi. Detectives refer to the locations as trap houses where adults would engage in sexual activity with unconscious victims.
Spears says Smith’s arrest was a joint effort among several law enforcement agencies and says this is their first arrest for human trafficking, but when it comes to child solicitation….
The investigation is ongoing, and Spears encourages the public if they have any information concerning the case or if they suspect such activity to contact the office directly or they can also make an anonymous report by downloading their mobile app.
Cut 6 (09) “…completely anonymous.”
Smith is charged with human trafficking, second-degree rape, two counts of cruelty to juveniles, and attempted sexual battery. More charges are expected in this case.
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The huge Powerball jackpot just keeps rolling over. No winning tickets were sold for Wednesday night’s $700 million jackpot. Saturday night’s 800-million dollar jackpot is now the second-largest in the game’s history and fifth largest U.S. jackpot. Louisiana Lottery spokesman Dustin Annison says sales have definitely picked up.
Cut 7 (09) “…3 point 2 million.”
This is the 37th drawing of the current cycle that started on August 6th. The last big prize was won on August third in Pennsylvania for a ticket that was worth nearly 207-million dollars
Cut 8 (08) “…after the drawing’s held.”
He says there are thousands of Louisiana winners in every drawing, and you don’t have to match all six of the numbers to win a prize. The odds of hitting the jackpot are one in 292.2 million. The odds of hitting other smaller prizes offered by the Louisiana Lottery are as high as one in 25.
Tickets for Saturday’s Powerball drawing must be purchased by 9 PM.
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Louisiana District 6 Congressman Garret Graves announces federal help for an ailing Louisiana shrimping industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase up to $25-million in wild-caught shrimp; a deal he worked to secure with Alabama Congressman Jerry Carl. Graves says shrimpers have had to cope with natural disasters, inflation, rising fuel costs, and a market glutted with imports from Asia…:
Cut 10 (06) “…keep that industry afloat.”
The money will go to purchase shrimp from wholesalers and directly from shrimpers, letting the money flow more directly to those who need it. Once purchased, the product will be sent to numerous school lunch programs, food banks, and others as a much-needed source of protein…so the shrimp won’t go to waste. Graves says this is help for shrimpers right now, and not intended as a permanent fix for any of the larger issues causing problems for Gulf Coast shrimpers…:
Cut 11 (07) “…disaster assistance.”
Graves says unfair trade practices make unregulated (and often un-inspected) foreign seafood more attractive to some buyers, which hurts domestic production. He says he and colleagues in congress will work to rectify that…:
Cut 12 (07) “…level playing field.”
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There’s some welcome news for your outdoor plants and yards as significant rain is in the forecast for Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says according to the latest drought monitor, nearly the entire state is under drought and some areas are even considered in severe drought.
Cut 13 (11) “…overnight tonight.”
For the past month, Keim says the state has only averaged about a half-inch of rain when three-and-a-half to four inches of rain is considered normal for this time period.
So, if you have any outdoor plans today or tomorrow, Keim says the rain will be moving from west to east across the state.
Cut 15 (11) “…spill over into Saturday morning.”
And while usually significant rainfall is followed by cooler temps Keim says that won’t be the case after this front moves through and the mercury should follow the same pattern, we’ve been experiencing.
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Saints running back Alvin Kamara had a talk with the team after last Thursday’s loss in Arizona about returning to the swagger, confidence, and success of the Sean Payton era. Being part of winning teams in all of his past 6 years with the Black and Gold, Kamara reinforced the importance of accountability and leadership…
The New Orleans offense has struggled since the retirement of future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, but Kamara believes they still have all the pieces to find success without him. He knows that football will go on in New Orleans no matter who suits up Sunday…
Cut 17 (13) “…New Orleans Saints”
Despite the controversy surrounding the quarterback position, injuries, and coaching changes the Saints’ offense has found its stride in the last 4 weeks under newly-named starting quarterback Andy Dalton. The Saints haven’t produced results in that span, but Dalton says it’s important to learn from the losses and take away the positives despite the outcomes…
The 2-5 Saints have a chance to improve their record Sunday at 12:00 against the Raiders.
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Louisiana Tech returns to action tonight as they travel to Miami to face FIU. The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 42-41 overtime loss to Rice on homecoming last weekend. LA Tech started strong and didn’t lose the lead until there were only 10 minutes left in the game. Head Coach Sonny Cumbie says the team grew from the loss…
Cut 19 (16) “…individually improve.”
Both starting quarterback Parker McNeil and backup quarterback Matthew Downing exited the game with injuries Saturday. Downing has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury, but McNeil’s status for this week is still uncertain. If he’s unable to go, it will be up to third-string freshman quarterback Landry Lyddy to lead the Bulldogs. Lyddy was 3 for 6 with 38 yards and 2 touchdowns in his emergency appearance and impressed Cumbie with his poise in a high-pressure situation…
Cut 20 (15) “…day-to-day basis.”
The Bulldogs take the field tonight at 7 PM on CBS