Another election integrity bill is making its way through the legislature; and given the lack of opposition in committee, the odds are pretty good that it will end up on the governor’s desk. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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A Senate committee approves legislation that provides a new legal remedy for people incarcerated under non-unanimous jury verdicts.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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A bill that would ban wagering on the outcomes of elections advances to the full Senate; and given the unanimous vote in the Governmental Affairs Committee, the odds are strong that it could end up on Governor Landry’s desk. Secretary of State Nancy Landry testified in support of the bill, saying people with a money stake on elections will go to great lengths to ensure a certain outcome by illicit means.

Cut 3 (10) “…of an election.” 

Secretary Landry notes that such a rule already exists for election staff.

Cut 4 (12) “…should apply statewide.”

Landry says Louisiana already has some of the most secure elections in the state, and she wants to keep it that way.

Cut 5 (06) “…to stay there.”

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A teenager is under arrest for the murder of a man outside an Amazon distribution center in Baton Rouge. Homicide detectives arrested 18-year-old Karl Nash in connection with the shooting death of 21-year-old Daylon Anthony. BRPD Sergeant Darren Ahmed says Nash turned himself in.

Cut 6 (05) “…violent crimes unit office.”

Investigators say the two men were involved in a verbal and physical altercation outside the distribution center Monday night.  Ahmed says Anthony was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cut 7 (07) “…December 2024.”

Nash has been charged with Second Degree Murder and Illegal Use of a Weapon and is currently booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail. Ahmed says the investigation remains ongoing as detectives gather evidence.

Cut 8 (11) “…as we speak.”

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The number of students accepting TOPS funding has been going down for a few years. Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed says one requirement is that students attend a college within the state of Louisiana, and many students are being lured to other states.

Cut 9 (09)  “…now for students.”

Reed says another reason is that some students decide not to continue their education beyond high school.

Cut 10 (12) “…to be eligible.”

Reed says the trend started taking a U-turn a few years ago.

Cut 11 (09) “…program has declined.”

Reed notes that there are bills in the legislature designed to make Louisiana a more competitive state for college-bound students and to ensure an affordable path to higher education.

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New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis has a bill that aims to provide a new legal remedy for people incarcerated under non-unanimous jury verdicts—also known as Jim Crow juries. The bill passed a Senate committee on a 5-1 vote and it now heads to the Senate floor. Promise of Justice initiative Attorney Claude Michael Comeau says it would allow individuals convicted by non-unanimous juries to seek post-conviction relief.

Cut 12 (05) “…a new trial.”

Comeau says the Louisiana Supreme Court previously declined to apply non-unanimous verdicts retroactively, leaving around 800 people without relief. Comeau says SB218 is a necessary step to address historic injustices and ensure fair trials for all Louisianans.

Cut 13 (10)  “…doing the right thying.”

Lafourche Parish District Attorney Kristine Russell focused on Child Abuse cases for 20 years and says when she looks at her non-unanimous verdicts it wasn’t a question of guilt.

Cut 14 (14) “…not guilty.”

Russell is concerned what this proposed law will mean for victims, who may have to face their offender again in court if they were previously guilty on a 10-2 or 11-1 decision…

Cut 15 (10) “…at the time.”

The bill moved to the full Senate for debate.

In a Senate committee hearing, lawmakers passed a bill that would ban kratom, an unregulated product that has stimulant effects in small doses and opioid effects in larger doses. Now the bill heads to the Senate floor. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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A first-degree murder against a death-row inmate has been thrown out. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Amtrak is getting ready to launch the Mardi Gras Service running twice daily between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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A bill that would ban the sale of kratom was approved and moves to the Senate floor. Senate Bill 154 is authored by Monroe Republican Jay Morris.

Cut 4 (12) “…and to individuals.”

David Lebrano supports the bill and spoke to the dangers of the drug.  Lebrano’s son died from an apparent kratom overdose, and he hopes to prevent others from experiencing this pain.

Cut 5 (11) “…gas station, headshops, anywhere.”

Critics like kratom user and advocate Wednesday Forrest-Bear says the ban will take away from people using the product medicinally and help manage pain.

Cut 6 (06) “…regulate.”

Another opponent of the bill is Adam Peak, the owner of Bella Sunrise Smoke Shop. He says kratom has been a net positive, helping with overcoming addiction to other drugs and alcohol.

Cut 7 (11) “…an issue of kratom.”

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A man who has spent more than a quarter century on death row in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s nearly two-year-old daughter has had his first-degree murder conviction thrown out. In 1998, Jimmie Duncan was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1993 death of little Haley Oliveaux. Richard Webster, who’s been covering the story for ProPublica, says Duncan’s conviction was due in large part to testimony from forensic dentist Michael West and pathologist Steven Hayne that experts say is junk science.

Cut 8 (14) “…to Jimmie Duncan.”

Webster says West and Hayne’s conclusions led prosecutors to up the charges to first-degree murder, which ultimately led to Duncan’s death sentence. Webster says new evidence led Ouachita Parish District Judge Alvin Sharp to reconsider the conviction.

Cut 9 (19)  “…her to drown.”

Right now, even though his first-degree murder conviction has been thrown out, Duncan remains behind bars. Webster says the big question now is – to what degree, if any, is Duncan culpable for Haley’s death?

Cut 10 (19) “…newly-uncovered evidence.”

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Senator Bill Cassidy is hailing the 17-and-a-half-billion-dollar investment that Woodside Energy Group is making in Louisiana. The Australian-based company announced yesterday that it is putting up a greenfield liquified natural gas export facility in Calcasieu Parish. Cassidy says that plot of land is going to yield thousands of new jobs.

Cut 11 (11) “…year once operational.”

Woodside’s announcement is the fourth major economic development announcement in the last several months, including a ten-billion-dollar Meta A-I data center near Monroe and a six-billion-dollar investment by Hyundai to build a steel plant in Ascension Parish. Cassidy says it all shows that Louisiana is open for business.

Cut 12 (11) “…can be brighter.”

Cassidy notes that this is the first greenfield LNG export facility to advance since President Trump rolled back the Biden administration’s pause on LNG export permits.

Cut 13 (14)  “…celebrate 100 days.”

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Amtrak will launch a new intercity train service, the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service, this summer, running twice daily between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. It will also have four stops in Mississippi — Bay Saint Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross says it’s a long time coming.

Cut 14 (13) “…and Mobile.”

Named to reflect the Gulf Coast’s rich Mardi Gras culture, the trains will offer scenic, comfortable travel with morning and evening departures. Passengers will enjoy connections to other major Amtrak routes, such as the City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Sunset Limited. The service aims to boost tourism, improve regional connectivity, and support local economies.

Cut 15 (12) “…from Baton Rouge.”

Leaders from all three states hailed the initiative as a milestone in Gulf Coast development, made possible through bipartisan support and partnerships with the Southern Rail Commission. Ross says the target date for the launch is mid-July.

Cut 16 (12) “…piece of track.”

Louisiana is once again participating in the federal SUN Bucks program. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The House has approves measures that seek to lower the payouts car accident victims receive in court. Jeff Palermo reports that supporters say the legal reforms will help drive down auto insurance rates…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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More than 30,000 residents in Bossier and Caddo parishes were left without power for six hours on Saturday, prompting Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell to demand answers from SWEPCO and the Southwest Power Pool. About what happened and who is paying for it:

Cut 3 (11) “…pay for that?” 

The outage, ordered by SPP to prevent a broader grid failure, came without warning and has raised serious concerns from residents and business owners. SPP President Lanny Nickell says they take responsibility and their role in the emergency outage.

Cut 4 (13) “…from reoccurring.”

Campbell stated that while he’s not looking to assign blame, he wants clear answers and solutions. SWEPCO President and CEO Brett Mattison says the outage was a last-resort response to instability caused by planned maintenance.

Cut 5 (08) “…specific area.”

Mattison says they can’t guarantee this will not happen again when temperatures soar above 90-degrees.

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Governor Landry announces yet another major economic development project for Louisiana.

Cut 6 (17) “…in Southwest Louisiana.”

(Woodside Energy Group is investing $17.5 billion investment to build a new LNG facility in Calcasieu Parish)

Woodside Energy is an Australian-based company, and their 17-billion dollar investment in Calcasieu Parish is the largest single foreign direct investment in Louisiana history. It’s also the first greenfield LNG export facility to advance since President Trump rolled back the Biden administration’s pause on LNG export permits.

Executive Vice President Daniel Kalms says he’s proud that the company is making such a huge investment in Louisiana.

Cut 7 (13) “…sector this year.”

Governor Landry says the project will create about 15-thousand jobs during construction and thousands more once the facility is up and running.

Cut 8 (10) “…their incomes raised.”

The announcement comes on the heels of prior economic development announcements, including a ten-billion-dollar Meta A-I data center near Monroe and a six-billion-dollar investment by Hyundai to build a steel plant in Ascension Parish. Construction is already underway, and the goal is to have it up and running in 2029.

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Louisiana is once again participating in the federal SUN Bucks program. The program provides eligible children between the ages of five and 18, 120-dollars to use on food during the summer months when they’re out of school. Tim Jenkins, the economic stability director for the Department of Children and Family Services, says for those already receiving SNAP benefits, there’s nothing that they need to do.

Cut 9 (09)  “…household SNAP card.”

Jenkins says those participating in other programs will get a new SUN Bucks card sent to them.

Cut 10 (13) “…the child’s name.”

Jenkins says families have only 122 days – about four months – to use the 120 dollars, and the money may only be used for certain food items.

Cut 11 (09) “…nothing like that.”

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The Louisiana House has approved bills that seek to reduce the big payouts car accident victims receive after filing a lawsuit. One of those measures is Baton Rouge Representative Emily Chenevert’s (SHEN-UH-VAIR) bill, which says if a driver is 51-percent or more at fault for a wreck, they are not entitled to damages. She says states with lower insurance rates have this law…

Cut 12 (12) “…claim for damages.”

Chenevert says the bill would reduce frivolous lawsuits and called it a common-sense change…

Cut 13 (12)  “…cover that.”

The bill passed on a 67-26 vote and it has the support of insurance companies.

The House also approved a medical transparency bill. House Bill 34 by Slidell Republican Brian Glorioso would make medical costs admissible in court, so the judge and jury know exactly how much a person injured in a wreck paid in medical costs…

Cut 14 (07) “…consider it.”

Both of these bills head to a Senate committee for further consideration.