Toledo Bend on the Texas-Louisiana border came in as the number one fishing destination in the country for the second straight year. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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We’re in the final days of the second special session of the year, and lawmakers are still arguing over TOPS funding. Halen Doughty has more…

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 LSU’s Pennington Biomedical is looking for volunteers ages 50 to 85 to participate in a research that aims to slow memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Louisiana ranks third in the country for lightning claims, according to State Farm. Roszell Gadson with State Farm says in 2015, the insurance company paid out over $6 million on almost 14-hundred lightning claims, averaging $46-hundred each.

cut 4  (07)  “related losses”

Gadson says this week is Lightning Safety Awareness Week. He says they want to encourage people to make sure their homes are properly grounded. He says if you have an expensive device or appliance, you should plug it into a surge protector.

Cut 5  (08)  “thousands of dollars”

State Farm reports lightning is most frequent during June, July, and August. Gadson says people should take precautions when lightning storms hit.

Cut 6 (10) “lower ground”

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Louisiana anglers rejoice as Toledo Bend has been ranked the number one bass fishery in the country for the second straight year by Bassmaster. Magazine Editor James Hall says the 185-thousand acre reservoir in Sabine and DeSoto Parishes has better catch rates in quality and quantity than every other fishery in the country. He says you don’t have to be a professional to reel in a great catch at Toledo Bend.

CUT 7 (10)  “bass fishing”

Hall says this is the first time in the history of ranking the best fishing destination in America that one fishery has won back to back or even won twice. He says there were over 130 10-pound bass catches at Toledo Bend this year.

Cut 8  (11)  “is fantastic”

Caddo Lake ranked number 7 in Bassmaster’s Central Division of top 25 best fisheries. Hall says tourism in the area increased 23-percent last year when Toledo Bend ranked 1. He expects this trend to continue…

Cut 9 (10)  “go back”

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With three days left in the special session, lawmakers are arguing over how much to fund TOPS. A bill approved by the House funds the scholarship program at 70-percent. Bogalusa Representative Malinda White believes fewer dollars should go to TOPS in favor of more money for hospitals that provide care for the poor and uninsured. She asked them what they would do if they came upon a wreck in her district and a safety net hospital was closed, because of a lack of funding.

Cut 10 (11) “to college”

White says the same people who want to fund TOPS did not vote in favor of revenue raising measures to get the funding. She says hospitals should take priority with the funds that are available.

cut 11 (09) “or death”

Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala urged House members not to take any more funding away from the scholarship program. He says LSU students will leave the state for better scholarship opportunities or attend cheaper schools if they do stay in Louisiana.

cut 12 (11) “or Nicholls”

If TOPS is only funded at 70-percent, all TOPS students will get a portion of their tuition paid for, but will have to cover the rest. Bacala says he would like to see TOPS funded at least at 80-percent…

Cut 13 (10)  “a promise”

The Senate Finance committee will talk more about TOPS funding at its meeting today. The special session ends Thursday at midnight.

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LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is looking for volunteers for a first-of-its-kind study to slow memory loss as a result of Alzheimer’s. Director of Pennington’s Institute for Dementia Research, Dr. Jeffery Keller, says they’re seeking people ages 50 to 85 who are concerned about their memory and don’t have a confirmed case of Alzheimer’s Disease to undergo this new investigational treatment.

cut 14 (11)  “from occurring”

Keller says this is a lengthy three year study, but it’s necessary because the disease forms in individuals who are asymptomatic and don’t show symptoms. He says Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the country, with 15 million people expected to be diagnosed by 2050.

Cut 15 (10) “disease”

Keller says this study is extremely promising because this approach has appeared to be something that’s moved the needle in people with Alzheimer’s. He says they hope this drug can prevent people without symptoms from developing the disease later in life.

Cut 16  (08)  “disease” 

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Thursday night is the NBA Draft and the Pelicans have three picks. The sixth overall pick and then two in the second round. New Orleans General Manager Dell Demps believes they can add some significant pieces around All-Star Anthony Davis…

Cut 17 (14)  “free agency”

Last season’s Pelicans team failed way short of reaching its goal of making the playoffs. The team was hit with multiple injuries. Demps says not having small forward Quincy Pondexter for the entire season was a huge blow…

Cut 18 (16) “us back”

Once the draft concludes, the Pelicans will focus on free-agency. Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Norris Cole are players that the Pelicans will have a chance to re-sign, but Demps says it has to be a good fit…

Cut 19 (20) “everybody”

Data from the Department of Children and Family Services indicate the number of food stamp recipients is declining nationally, but increasing in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo reports…

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Two children died after being locked in a hot pickup truck in Bossier City, and authorities are still unsure of what happened. Halen Doughty has the story…

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Authorities continue to investigate the deaths of 3-year-old twins Oliver and Aria Orr, who died after being locked in a hot pickup truck. Bossier City Police spokesperson Mark Natale says at some point Saturday afternoon, the children’s mother realized she didn’t know where the kids were.

CUT 3 (09)  “unresponsive”

A Shreveport television reports the children were in the truck for two hours and temperatures were in the 90s Saturday afternoon. Natale says once the children were found, a neighbor immediately called 911.

CUT 4 (11)  “the hospital”

Natale says a preliminary result from autopsies shows the children died of heat related causes. But He says at this point, authorities have more questions than answers.

CUT 5 (09)  “pickup truck”

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The number of food stamp recipients is increasing in Louisiana, while that rate is falling nationwide. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services says nearly one in five Louisiana residents are on the federal food assistance program. Director of the Louisiana Budget Project, Jan Moller, says that increase is due to job loss in the oil and gas industry because low oil prices hurt Louisiana’s economy more than other states.

CUT 6 (11) “find work”

According to DCFS, the number of food stamp recipients jumped 9% from April 2015 to April 2016. Some southern parishes saw that rate increase even more, up 37% in Jefferson parish, 26% in St. Martin, and 90% in Cameron. Moller says those rates should go down when oil prices come back up.

CUT 7 (10) “to decrease”

Moller says hopefully these people will not be on the program for long, as the average recipient gets food stamps for nine months. He says we should all be happy that there’s a program to help people get through these tough times.

CUT 8 (10) “their children”

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32-year-old Margaret Sanchez has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2012 death and dismemberment of the former Bourbon Street dancer Jaren Lockhart. She also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a Jefferson Parish courtroom and was sentenced to 40 years. Legal analyst Chick Foret says the case is now over and the family finally has closure…:

CUT 9 (09) “involved”

Lockhart was stabbed to death in Kenner, then cut up and tossed into the Gulf of Mexico by Sanchez, and her ex-boyfriend Terry Speaks who has already been convicted of the same crime. Foret says Lockhart has a young child and the family did not want to have to endure a lengthy trial…:

cut 10 (10)  “any appeals”

Sanchez was originally set to appear in court on July 11th on charges of second degree murder, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Foret says the Lockhart family has had enough with litigation as the trial of Speaks was a fiasco…:

Cut 11 (10) “that took place”

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The Louisiana approved two bills today that would generate an additional 75-million dollars in tax revenue. If approved by the Senate, legislature will raise nearly 300-million dollars in this special session, far short of the $600 million sought by Governor John Bel Edwards. Political analyst Clancy Dubos…:

cut 12 (10) “for raising taxes”

Dubos says if the budget falls short, then it will be up to lawmakers and the governor to determine what will get cut. He says Governor Edwards has said he would start cutting proportionally over 12 months…:

Cut 13 (10)  “fewer services”

Based on the money that’s been raised as a result of the 2 special sessions, at least 70% of TOPS would be funded under a bill to be heard this afternoon on the House floor. Dubos says this will likely have the biggest affect on Louisianians. He that would mean only 70% of a student’s tuition would be paid instead of all of it…:

cut 14 (11)  “higher tuition”

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The two Alabama football players & North Louisiana natives that were arrested in Monroe in May will not be prosecuted on drug and gun charges due to lack of evidence. DA Jerry Jones told KNOE he didn’t want to ruin the lives of Cam Robinson and Laurence “Hootie” Jones because they’ve been working and sweating while we were all in the air conditioning. Legal analyst Tim Meche…:

cut 15 (09) “and he has the discretion”

The Monroe TV station reported that Jones said he dropped the charges because he could not prove who was in possession of the drugs and the gun in question. Meche says Jones has been in office for over 20 years, and he knows what he’s doing…:

cut 16 (09) “of the cases”

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