A bill heading to the House floor would extend the waiting period for an abortion from 24 to 72 hours. Halen Doughty has more…
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The Department of Corrections is investigating whether incarcerated rapper C-Murder recorded a new single while in Angola. Michelle Southern reports…:
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A bill has passed out of the House Health and Welfare Committee that would extend the waiting period for an abortion from 24 to 72 hours. The only exception is if the women has to travel more than 150 miles to the nearest abortion clinic. Cindy Collins with the Louisiana Abortion Recovery Alliance says the current law does not give women enough time to reflect on their options.
The bill now heads to the House floor for further consideration. No one spoke out in opposition, but pro- choice groups are concerned about another legal hurdle that could be facing women who are seeking an abortion. Haughton Representative Dodie Horton says extending this longer waiting period is necessary to allow women to make the right decision.
Five other states have similar waiting periods. Monroe Representative Katrina Jackson says this decision will emotionally affect a woman for the rest of her life.
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The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of murdering his wife and dumping her body in the spillway canal near Palmetto. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says 52-year-old Sam Clark, Jr. admitted to police he shot 28-year-old Kimberly Perkins Clark twice in the head on the spillway levee bridge. Guidroz says the couple had a very abusive relationship…
Guidroz says detectives had plenty of physical evidence to tie Clark to the murder of his wife before he confessed. He says the couple was driving over the bridge in Sam Clark’s truck before she was killed.
Clark is charged with second degree murder. Guidroz says they believe Kimberly Clark was dead for about 12 to 15 hours before her body was found.
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Louisiana could get hit with two to four inches of rain today as a severe weather system moves into the state. Forecaster with the National Weather Service in Shreveport Patrick Omundson advises people to be on the lookout for severe weather threats.
Omundson also cautions people to watch out for lightening today. He says much of the state will get around two inches of rain, but isolated areas could get more.
Much of north Louisiana is under a flash flood watch. Omundson says the flash flooding risk is greater, because of all the backwater left from the recent flooding.
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A measure to create protection for public school students who are parents or expectant mothers has been passed out of the Senate Education Committee. New Orleans Senator Wesley Bishop says the Louisiana Expectant and Parenting Students Act will help both mothers and fathers receive a diploma.
The bill now heads to the full Senate for more debate. Metairie Rep. Stephanie Hilferty is a co-author of the legislation. She says statistically only 40 percent of teen mothers finish high school and 30 percent of female students that drop out say the reason was due to pregnancy.
Hilferty says as much support a mother can get from the state while in the high school environment will reap substantial rewards. She says teen pregnancy has a generational effect if we don’t help these parents return to high school after their maternity leave.
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The Senate advances legislation that would make Louisiana in federal compliance with the Real ID Act. The bill’s author, Baton Rouge Senator Yvonne Colomb, says this is a measure that was passed by Congress…:
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The proposal passed 31-7 and heads to the House. A similar bill received legislative approval last year, but it was vetoed by former Governor Bobby Jindal. Colomb says her bill this year includes language that would give citizens the option…:
(Governor John Bel Edwards says he will sign the bill if it passes.)