There’s a heated debate going on at this hour in a Senate Committee on legislation that attempts to prevent local governments from removing Confederate monuments. The bill would create a statewide commission that would have to grant a waiver before a monument could be moved. Confederate monument supporter Leslie Tassin says monuments of Confederate soldiers are a history lesson…:
CUT 6 (04) “brighter future”
An argument by opponents is that it shouldn’t be up to the state what happens to city property.

An online campaign calls for Natchez to secede from Mississippi and join Louisiana after our neighboring lawmakers approved a bill that allows people there with religious obligations to deny services to gay people. Casey Hughes launched the change-dot-org petition hoping the governor would not sign the bill, but he did yesterday….:
CUT 3 (08) “to everyone”
Over 700 people have so far signed the petition.

Two Acadiana men who were reported missing off the coast of Cameron Parish have been located, and according to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries were alive. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says the two men left in an aluminum boat Tuesday morning, but didn’t return by the evening…:
CUT 1 (09) “sinking boat”
He says the 20-year-old and 19-year-old are not doing well and one of them had to be revived with CPR. More on this as it develops.

A Senate Committee has unanimously approved a proposal that would ban the sale of aborted fetal tissue. Bossier City Senator Ryan Gatti says there are already laws in place about killing babies in the womb or immediately after birth. He hopes this bill fills a gap in the law about selling organs…:
Cut 16 (07) “an organ”
This bill comes as a response to allegations that Planned Parenthood sold organs from aborted fetuses.