AM Newscall December 15,2015

Governor Bobby Jindal spoke at the Baton Rouge Press Club to discuss his accomplishments during his two terms in office. Emelie Gunn has more….

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Republican Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany has announced his intent to run US Senate. Eric Gill reports…

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 The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner says heroin overdose deaths have reached a record high in the parish this year. Michelle Southern has more….

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Governor Bobby Jindal made appearance at the Baton Rouge Press Club to discuss the administration’s accomplishments over the last eight years. Jindal knows some of his policies were unpopular, but believes he did what was best for the state. The governor says he wanted to bring change to the state and it’s important to look at the positive results.

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Jindal says he took on education reform during his two terms and believes it will have a lasting impact on our state.

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Jindal says his only regret about his time in office is what he wasn’t able to accomplish. He says reducing spending and cutting taxes were also other accomplishments.

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Republican Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany has announced his intent to run for the US Senate. He joins fellow Republicans Minden Congressman John Fleming and Col. Rob Maness in seeking the seat being vacated by US Senator David Vitter. Boustany says he wants to bring his record of conservative leadership from the US House to the upper chamber…

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While in Congress, Boustany has brought new Veterans Clinics to Louisiana, and has led efforts in tax reform, health care, and energy policy. Boustany feels his congressional experience will be a benefit in the Senate, especially in dealing with the current state of oil and gas industry…

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State Treasurer John Kennedy is expected to jump in the field and PSC member Scott Angelle’s name has been mentioned as a potential candidate. With a large number of Republicans expected to run, Boustany says this race will be about ideas and about a vision for Louisiana…

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 The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark reports a record number in deaths in the parish due to heroin, in 2015. Clark says this is about a 9-percent increase from 2013. He says we still have two more weeks left in the year, so there is a chance that the number could be even higher.

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Clark says the likely reasons heroin deaths have increased is because of the prescription monitoring program, which makes prescription drugs harder to access on the street along with a decrease in sentencing for heroin dealers. He says to stop this trend, there should be stricter penalties for dealers and we need to work with heroin users to break the habit.

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 Clark says the drug effects people of all races but the majority of victims are white males. He says there has been a recent change in potency in many batches of heroin across the state, which could instantly kill a drug user.

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The Benson family saga took a turn Monday as Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson offered to resign as a trustee in a disputed family trust in Texas on the condition that his daugher Renee doesn’t take his place. Legal analyst Tim Meche believes this move means Benson has a weak hand in this case…

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The family had agreed to mediation before the scheduled February 1st trial date, but this moves looks to settle the case before that. Meche says Renee and other estranged family members have claimed that Tom is being controlled by those around him and this move may back that theory up…

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This case does not involve ownership in the NFL or NBA franchises. However, Meche says Benson’s move could be an indication of things to come. He says Benson’s refusal to participate in any of the legal proceedings has forced him into making concessions to the family…

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