A House committee rejected a proposal to prevent the removal of confederate monuments without a waiver from a state board. Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody says these monuments tell the stories of the state, and removing them would be an attempt to erase the past from public memory.

Cut 9 (06) “our story”

Carmody says the only way to have a brighter future is to learn from past mistakes.

A bill to increase the fines for not wearing a seatbelt has been approved by the House. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger says the current fine of $25 is one of the lowest in the country, and even with an increase to $50 for a first offense, the fine is still lower than many other states.

Cut 5 (08) “higher fine”

The measure passed on a 62-34 vote and now moves to the Senate.

The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season should be near-average, according to the forecast team at Colorado State University. Research scientist Phil Klozbach says they predict there will be about 12 named storms.

Cut 13 (06) “hurricane season”

He says their next forecast will be out June 1, which is the day hurricane season begins.

At Camp Minden in Webster Parish, the Louisiana National Guard successfully conducted their first test burn of 88 pounds of M6 propellant. Colonel Pete Schneider says they’ll increase the amount over the next 30 days until they reach the full capacity of about 800 pounds. He thinks it will take a year to burn all the propellant that was improperly stored by Explo Systems.

Cut 6 (07) “M6 free”