The regular legislative session begins today. Lawmakers return to Baton Rouge looking at an 800-million dollar budget deficit for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says legislators could make changes to the TOPS scholarship program, because of the large deficit. Alario says there are proposals to raise the academic standards or limit the financial award a TOPS recipient receives…
cut 6 (04) “….accomplishment”
In response to last summer’s deadly movie theater shooting in Lafayette, Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton has filed legislation to prohibit the possession of a gun inside a motion picture theater. Norton also has a bill requiring metal detectors at movie theaters. Political analyst Clancy Dubos doesn’t see that bill passing the legislature…
cut 10 (07) “…slip through”
The regular session must on June sixth.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says based on inital reports, nearly five-thousand homes have received flood damage. National Weather Service forecaster CS Ross says flood waters are starting to recede in some areas, but that brings another set of problems…
cut 4 (11) “…of pollution”
The Pearl River is expected to crest at 21-feet today, the highest level since 1983. That’s causing flooding concerns in eastern St. Tammany Parish.

Louisiana has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the contry. With this being National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Doctor Jordan Karlitz with the Tulane Medical Center, says colonoscopies are a great way to detect colon cancer…
cut 15 (7) “…screened”
Karlitz says the recommended age to begin screening is 50.