A task force set up by the Department of Insurance has begun its work on coming up with recommendations that could reduce the state’s high auto insurance rates. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot chairs the task force and says there are state laws that can be changed, which can possibly reduce rates…
cut 5 (08) “…awarding damages”
According to Insure-dot-com, Louisiana has the second-highest auto insurance rates in the country.

Louisiana leads the nation when it comes to cases of the most serious form of the West Nile Virus. State Epidemiologist Doctor Raoult Ratard says 31 people have developed the neuroinvasive disease, which can lead to death…
cut 12 (06) “…permanent disablility”
Ratard says there have been two deaths this year associated with West Nile, which means residents need to take precautions to minimize the chance of getting biten by a mosquito.

A Thibodaux man has been arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend’s cat with a machete. Lt. Brennan Matherne with the LaFourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, says 30-year-old Cody Toups first grabbed the cat and threw it into Bayou Lafourche. When the girlfriend’s father attempted to save the cat, Toups grabbed a machnete and struck the feline. Matherne has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and faces other charges as well…
cut 15 (10) “…against the girlfriend”
Toups bond has been set at 15-thousand dollars.

Vice President Mike Pence will be in New Orleans this afternoon. Pence will tour the National World War Two Museum and visit with veterans. Afterwards, Pence and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise will host a fundraiser for Republican Congressional members who are in a tough re-election battle. Ticket sales for the event have reportedly been brisk.