Crews have been working all day to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from its 68-foot pedestal in New Orleans. Mayor Mitch Landrieu says taking down the confederate monuments was the right thing to do.

Cut 20 (14) “…absurd”

The Senate Finance committee has started hearings on the proposed spending plan for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says the budget the House approved does not properly fund the Department of Children and Family Services.

Cut 10 (08) “supervised”

Alario says the House did not allocate all the available funds, and that money could be used to fill the budget gaps.

Three people from St. Amant were killed when their vehicle veered off the roadway, went airborne, and hit a tree, causing it to split in half. State Trooper Bryan Lee says the three young adults were found by a family member after they didn’t come home following a night out.

Cut 6 (09) “a canal”

The victims are identified as Thomas Jones, Austin Kiernan, and Sydney Persac.

A bill to increase the training requirement for police to 400 hours is heading to the Senate. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says his bill also requires 20 hours of annual training and more focus in some key areas.

Cut 13 (09) “peace officers”

The House approved the measure 82 to 5.