On I-10 between Lafayette and the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, there were over two-thousand crashes from the January 2014 to the end of 2016. Emelie Gunn has more…
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A new crime lab has opened in Shreveport to assist 29 north Louisiana parishes. Kelley Ray tells us about this crime fighting tool.
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Today is the Great American Smokeout, the day millions of Americans try to quit the habit of smoking. Jeff Palermo has more…
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As we’ve seen an excess number of wrecks this week, the state Department of Transportation reports there were 2,423 crashes on Interstate 10 between Exit 100 in Lafayette and the Baton Rouge Mississippi River Bridge from January 1st of 2014 to the end of 2016. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson….
Of those crashes, 19 were fatal and 20 people died. Wilson says the majority of these wrecks are a result of tailgating or distracted driving.
Numbers from DOTD show 55-percent of these accidents happened when a car rear-ended another, 22-percent happened when a car ran off the interstate. Wilson says they have increased the number of rumble strips on the roadway to try alert drivers who may be drifting off the road or into another lane. He says the installment of cable barriers has also helped to stop drivers from running off the road.
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There is a new North Louisiana Crime Lab operating in Shreveport, serving 29 north Louisiana parishes. Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator says the state of the art 86-thousand-square foot North Louisiana Forensic Sciences Center should help them solve D-N-A cases much faster.
The planning started over 12 years ago with construction beginning in 2013 at a cost of 26-million-dollars. Prator says the new lab will also partner with the LSU Medical School in Shreveport.
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Prator says real life crime work takes much longer than what is seen during television shows. He says the ability to conduct DNA tests in the new facility will save time and money in investigations.
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Governor Edwards and Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain continue their listening tour with farmers today with stops in Ferriday and Slaughter. The tour started earlier this week as the two elected officials held meetings in Mooringsport and Bastrop to hear about concerns within the agriculture industry. Edwards says producers are worried that state budget cuts are impacting agriculture research at LSU and Southern.
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Edwards says soybean farmers are also pushing for funding so the Red River can be dredged in northwest Louisiana to help with shipping costs.
The tour will end tomorrow with stops in Ville Platte and Arnaudville. Edwards says he’s learning farmers have many challenges that go way beyond whether there’s enough rain to grow their crops.
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Today is the Great American Smokeout, the day tobacco users are encouraged to quit smoking, chewing tobacco or using other tobacco related products. Lance Barbour with the American Cancer Society says Louisiana ranks among the highest in the number of smokers and smoking related illness…
Several local governments in the last couple of years have banned smoking in all public places including bars and casinos. The latest to do so is East Baton Rouge Parish and Barbour says they will recognize this new ordinance that goes into effect January 1st with a press conference today…
Barbour says research shows that those who quit smoking will experience health benefits. He says the American Cancer Society’s has an 800 number and tips on their website on how to drop the habit…