Louisiana’s domestic abuse laws now include dating partners, as a new law takes effect today. Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Mariah Wineski, says previously these abusers could only be charged with simple battery, but the new law creates the crime of battery of a dating partner.
Cut 13 (11) “dating partners”

LSU says they may have found a new live mascot at a sanctuary in Florida. Ginger Guttner with the LSU Vet School says the prospect is a nine-month-old, 160 pound male tiger….
cut 12 (08) “…in August”
Guttner a major renovation project on the school’s Tiger habitat is nearing completition. She says if LSU gets the Tiger, it will be donated by the rescue facility, so no cost to the unviersity.
The resident of the third home to be completed under the Restore Louisiana program is about to be home. Lillie Gumm of Baton Rouge was one of the first people to complete the flood recovery survey at restore.la.gov. She says throughout this ordeal, she’s learned about taking deep breaths..:
Cut 7 (09) “turned around”
Money from the homeowner assistance program first went to the elderly, disabled and low-income individuals.

Two Minnesota teens are well on their way to becoming the youngest team to kayak the entire Mississippi River. Matt Rens and Jesse Richard are paddling through the Bayou State today getting closer to New Orleans. Rens says they have encountered some unexpected challenges along the way, like poison ivy.
Cut 4 (10) “unknown things”
The pair has raised a little over 4-thousand dollars to help fund cleaner water in a village in a third world country.