AM Newscall 06.25.19

Operation Broken Heart, a Statewide effort to catch child predators in Louisiana is using multiple law enforcement agencies to make arrests, but they still need parents to play and more active role.  Brooke Thorington has more.

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A recent study by AAA indicates about 70% of drivers in America feel they are unlikely to be caught by police while driving while under the influence of marijuana.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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 The EPA has authorized a 400,000 dollar grant to clean up two contaminated plots of land in Houma and Lafayette. Matt Doyle has more.

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State Attorney General Jeff Landry announces the latest results of statewide effort to arrest child predators. Landry says Operation Broken Heart, a culmination of multiple law enforcement agencies netted 63 offenders in the last two months alone.

Cut 4 (13) “…as young as three.”

Since July of 2018 the sting arrested one-hundred-sixty-five child predators. Landry says the suspects aren’t easy to identify, they could be your neighbor or the even person walking next to you in the grocery store.

Cut 5 (12)“…out there.”

FBI Special Agent Eric Rommal says their participation in Operation Broken Heart has also lead to multiple spinoff investigations but there is much more work to be done.

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A recent study by AAA indicates about 70% of drivers in America feel they are unlikely to be caught by the police while driving while under the influence of marijuana. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says the findings are a big concern as more states look into legalizing recreational pot.

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Redman says it is usually about an hour or so after using marijuana that the effects may set in. Millennials and young adults are the ones to report they are most likely to drive within an hour of toking up.

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Redman says it appears the numbers are as high as they are because the cannabis industry is downplaying the impact of marijuana when behind the wheel in an effort to sell states on legalizing marijuana.

Cut 9 (05) “…or totally misleading.”

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South Louisiana is getting a 400,000-dollar EPA grant to clean up two environmentally contaminated sites as part of the “Brownfields Program”.

Congressman Garret Graves says Brownfields are plots of land, often in the middle of booming markets that have sat abandoned as a result of environmental issues. He says these plots drag down property values and discourage investment.

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An EPA study showed addressing Brownsites increased nearby property values by 5-15 percent.

Graves says an EPA survey of Brownsite cleanup showed just 12.4 million dollars of investment yielded 29 to 97 million dollars of new local tax revenue in the first year alone. He says that’s a lot of bang for your government buck.

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The two locations getting a little TLC in Louisiana are a former VFW Fall in Houma, and a federal office building in Lafayette. Graves says they sit in vital economic corridors for the local community.

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Ragin’ Cajuns baseball’s head coach is recovering following a heart procedure Monday afternoon.  UL Lafayette Athletics spokesperson Patrick Crawford says Coach Tony Robichaux went to the hospital on Sunday evening and found out he was experiencing a cardiac event.

Cut 13 (11) “…a heart attack.”

Crawford says the operation went well and doctors are expecting the coach to make a full recovery.

Cut 14 (06) “…that he’s recovering.”

Crawford said the coach will be on bed rest for a bit.

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Robichaux just completed his 25th year at the helm on the baseball program for the school, scoring his 900th victory in this most recent season.