Governor John Bel Edwards told the Jim Engster show that TOPS students will not have to pay a poriton of their tuition, if the state doesn’t have enough money to pay for the scholarship program. Edwards says individual colleges will absorb those costs. But the governor says next school year is a different story, if the state doesn’t raise revenue to help pay for this government program…
cut 16 (05) “…funded next year”
He says as it stands now, TOPS is only funded at 25-percent next fiscal year.

The Governor’s Executive Budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year will be presented to lawmakers this afternoon. The adopted economic forecast projects the next deficit is around $2 billion dollars. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says they don’t plan to sugarcoat the facts..:
CUT 3 (09) “doomsday scenario”
Tomorrow lawmakers will begin a special session that will deal with the state’s immediate crisis, a 940-million dollar shortfall for this fiscal year.

Two Baton Rouge police officers were shot this morning and authorities say the suspect is in surgery after receiving a gunshot wound as well. Baton Rouge police spokesperson Sergeant Don Coppola says the officers responded to a call about damage to property. When officers arrived, a suspect fled in a car, eventually driving off the road. Coppola says the suspect got out of his car with some sort of rifle and started shooting at the officers and the police returned fire. The officers are in stable condition.

The governor has also told Louisiana that unless some taxes are raised, the budget cuts to colleges could be so severe that it could lead to no college football next fall. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says that would be a doomsday scenario, but other governors, used similar tactics like this to raise revenue…
cut 8 (08) “….kidney machines”
A special legislative session to address the state’s budget begins tomorrow.