AM Newscall, February 11th, 2016

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump will host a rally tonight at the Baton Rouge River Center. Emelie Gunn has more on why Trump is making an appearance in the Bayou State…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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A lawmaker from Baton Rouge files legislation which seeks to allow Louisiana residents to possess a concealed handgun without a permit. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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 Burger King announces they’ll add hot dogs to their menu starting February 23rd. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Fresh off his primary win in New Hampshire, Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump will hold a rally tonight at the Baton Rouge River Center. Political Analyst John Couvillion says new life has been breathed into Trump’s campaign, but to get the nomination, he’ll need to outperform Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the southern states…

cut 4  (10)  “March 1”

The Louisiana Presidential Primary election is March 5th. Couvillion explains why Trump is visiting Louisiana tonight, when the next primary is in South Carolina….

Cut 5  (09)  “be concluded”

Couvillon expects the tonight’s rally in downtown Baton Rouge to be packed with supporters. He says the record turnout of Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire shows we’ll likely see engaged primary voters attending.

Cut 6 (05)  “that trend” 

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Governor John Bel Edwards will address Louisiana citizens tonight to discuss the state’s historic budget deficit. This address comes ahead of the special legislative session that begins Sunday, where lawmakers will have to come up with a plan to combat an 870-million dollar budget deficit.  UL Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says that this kind of speech is unprecedented.

CUT 7 (08)  “on them”

Louisiana needs to boost state revenue and make cuts to the current budget to resolve the $870 million budget shortfall, which must be filled by June 30th. Cross says this will be a difficult task for legislatures.

Cut 8  (04)  “to get through”

The address will be aired at 6:30 pm on major television and radio stations. Cross says that the Governor’s address should make the public aware of the magnitude of the current budget crisis.

Cut 9 (05)  “as usual”

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A Baton Rouge lawmaker has filed a bill for the regular session that seeks to change the state constitution to allow Louisiana residents to possess a concealed handgun without needing a permit. Republican State Representative Barry Ivey says that this law would apply only to non-felon residents.

Cut 10 (12) “of a firearm”

Current Louisiana law allows residents 21 and over to carry a non-concealed handgun without a permit. A concealed carry permit requires completion of a safety course and payment of a $125 fee for a 5 year permit. Ivey attempted to pass a similar bill to stop requiring a permit in 2014 but was unsuccessful. He says this time he has a much better chance.

cut 11 (06) “two years ago”

Ivey’s proposed constitutional amendment would need two-thirds approval in the House and Senate and a majority vote from the public. Ivey has been collecting signatures for a petition on this issue for the past two years. He says public support will have a huge impact on passing the bill and encourages voters to contact their legislatures.

cut 12 (09) “of Louisiana”

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The fast food chain Burger King announces they’ll add hot dogs to their menu starting February 23rd. LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice says McDonald’s just went to all day breakfast and this is Burger King’s way of opening a new market…

Cut 13 (10)  “grilled dog”

Fast food chain Sonic also sells hot dogs, but they have a lot of varieties. Rice says Burger King decided to only offer the classic grilled hot dog and the chili cheese dog.

Cut 14 (09) “they did”

Rice says it remains to be seen how well the hot dogs will do, but Burger King is calling it their biggest launch since the chicken sandwich in the 70s.

Cut 15 (08) “segment.” 

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The Ragin Cajuns put their eight game winning streak on the line tonight when they host Arkansas State at the Cajundome. UL Lafayette is also undefeated at home and Coach Bob Marlin hopes their winning ways in front of the Cajun fans continues…

Cut 16  (24)  “the season“

The Cajuns are 9-3 in league play, two games behind Sun Belt leader Arkansas-Little Rock. UL Lafayette will host UALR on Saturday. Marlin says he can tell the fanbase is fired up about the team’s recent winning ways…

Cut 17 (16) “your team”

At one point this season, the Cajuns were 5 and eight, now they are 13-8. Marlin on the difference between then and now…

Cut 18 (13) “more confidence”

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