The internal Baton Rouge Police Department investigation into the shooting of Alton Sterling may be released today. Kelley Ray has more on what it could mean for the officers involved.
______________________________________
The state Department of Agriculture orders an emergency quarantine for the transportation of Roseau cane, because of an insect that has damaged over 100-thousand acres of wetlands. Matt Doyle has the story.
_______________________________________
Governor John Bel Edwards releases his plan for spending 123 million dollars in budget surplus dollars from last fiscal year. Jeff Palermo has more.
____________________________________________
The Baton Rouge Police Department’s internal investigation into the Alton Sterling shooting could be released today. Attorney General Jeff Landry concluded criminal charges were not warranted against officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake. But legal analyst and Baton Rouge attorney Franz Borghart says the B-R-P-D’s review of the fatal altercation could lead to termination of employment…
Borghart says the termination may not be directly related to the actual shooting. He says there were several things that took place that is shown on a cell phone video during the 90 seconds that followed after Salamoni and Lake arrived on the scene – including the officers yelling obscenities at Sterling, holding Sterling down on the ground and Salamoni firing six gunshots…
Cut 5 (10) “inappropriate behaivor.”
If Salamoni does indeed get terminated by the Baton Rouge Police Department, he can appeal the decision. Borghart explains…
Both officers have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting in July of 2016. Sterling’s family has already filed a civil lawsuit against the East Baton Rouge Parish, the City of Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Police Department, former police chief Carl Dabadie and officers Salamoni and Lake.
_________________________________________________________
The Department of Agriculture and Forestry has ordered an emergency quarantine so that Roseau cane south of LA Highway 10 is not transported out of the area. A tiny invasive insect is damaging the plant, which is a vital part of Louisiana’s wetlands. Commissioner Mike Strain says it’s already effected 200,000 acres.
The agency is working with partners to find a solution, but doesn’t have a fix just yet. The scale, native to China and Japan, can usually be burned out, but Strain says Louisiana is in a uniquely bad position.
Hunters use the Roseau cane to camouflage their ducks blinds, and to hunters preparing for the next season: Strain says make sure you keep any cane you use to the immediate vicinity it came from.
_________________________________________
Baton Rouge Senator Dan Claitor’s bill that allows for higher civil penalties when someone dies as a result of hazing has received Senate approval. Claitor says his legislation would allow those who file civil lawsuits to claim additional legal damages…
Claitor’s measure is one of a couple of bills filed in reaction to the suspected hazing death of an LSU student last September. There’s also Representative Nancy Landry’s bill, the Max Gruver Act, which would increase the criminal penalties if convicted of hazing. Claitor’s bill would expand current law on who could be held responsible for a death resulting from a hazing incident…
Claitor says if his bill is approved, it would deter hazing related behavior, resulting in deaths. He says the criminal charges already in place haven’t done enough to curb this dangerous behavior…
Claitor’s legislation now heads to the House floor for more discussion.
______________________________
Governor John Bel Edwards is seeking legislative approval for his plan on how to spend 123 million dollars in surplus dollars from the last fiscal year. If he has his way, 40 million dollars of the excess would be dumped into transportation projects. Edwards says the money would be spread out across the bayou to improve critical infrastructure.
A total of 80 million dollars will be spent on “strategic investments”.
Ten million dollars would be put into deferred maintenance on college campuses. Louisiana has a few billion dollar backlog of projects that would patch up state buildings. Edwards says many higher education facilities are becoming unsafe due to years of neglect.
31 million dollars will go into the rainy day fund, and 12 million dollars will be reinvested into the state employee pension.
The use of these funds is highly restricted, and cannot be dumped straight into the impending one billion dollar budget deficit. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says one time money is not a long term fix.
Edwards’ plans for spending surplus money will be contained in a supplemental appropriations bill that will be debated during the regular session.
____________________________________________________
A struggling LSU baseball team faces one of the top pitchers in college baseball tonight when the Tigers begin a series against SEC West foe Mississippi State. The Bayou Bengals have scored just nine runs in the last four games and Coach Paul Mainieri says the challenge is to break out of their hitting slump by facing left-hander Konnor Pilkington
Mainieri met with right fielder Antoine Duplantis following Wednesday night’s 3-1 loss to UL Lafayette. Duplantis grounded out to end the game with the tying run at second base. The Lafayette native says they talked about having a better approach when runners are in scoring position
LSU is 16-10, 3-3 in the SEC. Duplantis expects a winning streak in the near future…