Governor John Bel Edwards tells the newly formed Restore Louisiana Task Force it has the huge responsibility of helping Louisiana flood victims get their lives back together. Michelle Southern has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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The creepy clown trend has now reached Louisiana as multiple sightings have been reported to police. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Three people are dead, including a West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Deputy, following a double murder- suicide in Point Coupee parish. Point Coupee Sheriff Bud Torres says a gunfight erupted yesterday afternoon between Deputy Donna LeBlanc and her neighbor, 29-year-old Gregory Phillips. Torres says the deadly shootings took place in the deputy’s yard.
Phillips, LeBlanc, and 21-year-old Carli LeBlanc were pronounced dead. Torres says they are still not sure exactly how the gunfight began, but the relationship between LeBlanc and her neighbor was strained.
CUT 4 (09) “pleasant relationship”
LeBlanc is married to a Louisiana State Trooper, and their 9-year-old daughter reported the incident. The deadly gunfight reportedly occurred on LeBlanc’s day off while her husband was at a training exercise. Torres says investigators spent over 9 hours processing the scene, and the investigation is ongoing.
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Around the country there have been many sightings of creepy clowns and now the trend has reached Louisiana. Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz says a group of elementary aged students claimed to see clowns in the woods behind their school. He says it turned out to be a hoax after the kids saw stories online, but authorities are taking incidents like this very seriously.
Another clown sighting was reported at a Morgan City business Tuesday night. Capt. Betty Augman says by the time officers arrived on the scene, no one was found wearing a costume but they will investigate all complaints involving creepy clowns.
The clerk at the Paulina Matherne’s supermarket where the clowns were spotted says she is scared of the clowns returning, because you never know the mindset of the people dressed up.
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Governor John Bel Edwards tells the Restore Louisiana Task Force they have the important job of helping flood victims get back on their feet. The task force, which was appointed by the governor, is in charge of determining how federal flood recovery dollars will be spent. The state could receive billions of dollars and Edwards says it must be used appropriately.
President Barack Obama has asked Congress to approve two-point-six billion dollars for Louisiana’s flood recovery. Edwards says early estimates show there was $8.7 billion in damage from the August flood, and that doesn’t include public infrastructure. He says another 29-thousand homes were damaged in the March flood. He says the task force has to do something to help these people.
There’s legislation up for debate in the Senate that would provide 500-million dollars in federal flood aid for multiple states. Edwards says it is likely Louisiana will receive the bulk of Community Development Block Grant Funding in the lame duck session after the November election.
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State Superintendent of Education John White is eager to make changes to the way public schools are rated as a way to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act. The federal law targets increasing student achievement. White says Louisiana is developing a plan to be approved by the federal government by next year. And one of their ideas is fewer standardized tests…
White says to reduce testing they are requiring that state testing never take up more than 2-percent of all instructional minutes in a school year. He says they are addressing that Louisiana students too often graduate without the fundamental skills necessary to succeed in college or the workplace.
Cut 13 (10) “accountability system “
White says the framework also proposes that the accountability system do more to honor the progress of all students, even if the student doesn’t receive high marks. He adds schools need particular support in identifying specific learning needs early.
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A man has been arrested after walking near an elementary school with an assault rifle. Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola says they received numerous calls yesterday that 25-year-old Carl Willis was walking down the street carrying an AR-15.
Coppola says they aren’t sure why Willis was carrying the gun, and all he told the arresting officers is that he has the right to open carry the assault rifle. Coppola says citizens do have that right, but not on school property.
Coppola says Willis faces one charge of carrying a weapon on school grounds.
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