Legislators return to the State Capitol this afternoon to address a one-billion dollar shortfall for next fiscal year. LSU system president F. King Alexander is calling on legislators to find a budget solution that funds higher ed and TOPS by the end of this special session. Alexander says students are making decisions now on where they’ll attend college next fall…
Cut 13 (07) “other state.”

The Senate Democratic Caucus offers a solution on solving the one-billion dollar shortfall. Chairman Troy Carter proposes compressing income tax brackets, removing sales tax exemptions that benefit some businesses and expand the sales tax base, so certain services are taxed….
cut 6 (05) “…have to hurt”
But an anti-tax group known as the Louisiana Chapter of Americans for Propserity says this proposal would raise taxes on the middle class.
Social media threats have been made against several Louisiana schools just days after a gunman opened fire on a Florida school, killing 17. Kelley Ray says State Police are distributed by the increase in threats, real or not…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

A 71-year-old Louisiana inmate serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of a sheriff’s deputy was denied parole today by a three-member panel of the state’s parole board. Henry Montgomery just turned 17-year-old when he fatally shot an East Baton Rouge sheriff’s deputy in 1963. He received a parole hearing thanks to a US Supreme Court ruling that juvenile homicide offenders should have an opportunity at parole.