Here on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita making landfall in Louisiana, efforts continue to raise money to build the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Gray Stream is leading the fundraising efforts and says he’s pleased where they are so far with 42 million collected and 15 million more to go:
CUT 8 (10) “successful”
He says they hope to have it open by 2018.

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made a second arrest in an elaborate financial fraud scheme that claimed hundreds of stolen social security numbers and millions of dollars. Assistant AG Kurt Wall says the alleged leader of this scam, 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge, is charged with felony racketeering facing 75 years in prison…:
cut 14 (08) “think about that”
64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of co-conspiring with Batiste.

The current chairman of the state House Republican Delegation is another lawmaker who automatically gets his seat back as his opponent drops out of the race. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says he’s hopeful the legislature can start getting things done under the new governor to get us out of this budget mess. He says they need a plan laid out over several years…:
CUT 5 (08) “fiscal footing”
He says he’s grateful and humble to get to serve his district another 3 years.

Another court has once again upheld the ruling that a former state Senator and convicted felon Derrick Shepherd can not run for a House seat. A constitutional amendment bars convicted felons from seeking public office for 15 years but Shepherd was trying to argue the wording on a technicality. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal upheld the disqualification, but says it cannot rule on the constitutionality of the law.