Criminal justice reform will be a big topic in the regular session. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Dr. Michael Henderson says the Louisiana survey found a big difference between blacks and whites over the fairness of the criminal justice system. He says 71-percent of black respondents say the system is not fair, and only 44-percent of white respondents agree.

Cut 4 (09) “the motivations”

A bill by River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot seeks to address the opioid epidemic in Louisiana by addressing workers compensation. Talbot’s bill is similar to a Texas law that he says has done a great job of getting people back to work and off opioid medications.

Cut 8 (09) “hurts families”

Shreveport restaurant owner Mark Colby will spend the rest of his life behind bars after killing his girlfriend and business partner Angela Godley. Caddo Assistant DA Brittney Green says the 2014 murder rocked the community, because Godley was well known business owner and a former cardiac care nurse.

Cut 13 (10) “wonderful nurse”
Godley was found dead in the laundry room of the couple’s home in September of 2014.

A Ruston hospital is closing, which is bad news for employees and patients. LifeCare Specialty hospital employs 167 people and has a total of 175 hospital beds between its Ruston and Shreveport campuses. Firing will reportedly begin next week, with final terminations taking place in June.