The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office reports a 200 percent increase in online sexual predator cases during the pandemic. Louisiana Internet Crimes against Children Commander Corey Bourgeois says the increase appears to be linked to the fact kids are spending more time online.
Cut 7 (12) “…minors”
Bourgeois says parents need to be even more mindful of what their child is doing on the internet.

Should legislators have more input on executive orders issued during emergencies? Bills have been filed in the ongoing special session addressing this issue. Covington Representative Mark Wright says it could result in future emergency orders being more effective, because it will have the backing of the legislature as well…
cut 5 (12) “….we have now”

UL Lafayette is participating in a NASA experiment to see if vegetables can be grown in space to sustain astronauts during long missions. UL Lafayette vegetable researcher Dr. Karl Hasenstein says the research has been in the works for three years, but needs to be tested in space to advance cosmic exploration.
Cut 10 (13) “…moon or Mars.”
On Thursday, radish seeds developed by Hasenstein will travel to the International Space Station.

Governor John Bel Edwards is asking Louisiana residents to pray as former Governor Mike Foster has entered hospice care at the age of 90. Sources close to the former governor say Foster’s illness is not related to COVID-19. He served as Louisiana’s governor from 1996 to 2004.

A 30-day special session called by Republican lawmakers is underway. Legislation has been filed that seeks to give legislators more of a say when emergency orders are issued by the governor. Covington Representative Mark Wright says similar consultation with lawmakers exists at the federal level as well…
cut 6 (09) “….to declare war”

The 250 dollar Frontline Worker Rebate Program has processed about 65 percent of the over 240,000 applications received. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says they’re confident they will give away all of the money by the October 31st application deadline.
Cut 13 (10) “…available”

With kids spending more time in front of screens these days the number of reported cases of potential online sexual predation of minors was up 200 percent from April to June. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…Matt Doyle”

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office has charged 27-year-old Natalie Broussard with negligent homicide after she allegedly left a two-year-old in a vehicle on Sunday afternoon. A cause of death of the child has not been released and authorities say the investigation is continuing. Broussard will make her first court appearance today.

The second special session of 2020 began last night and bills have been filed that seek to scale back the governor’s authority during an emergency. House Republican Mark Wright of Covington proposes that any emergency declaration extended beyond 30 days should see more input than just the governor.
Cut 4 (13)“ …of these orders.”
Governor Edwards has said you can’t respond to a public health emergency by committee.

The Louisiana Revenue Department says it has processed about 65-percent of the 240-thousand applications they’ve received from eligible workers who are seeking a 250-dollar payment, because of the service they provided during the economic shutdown. Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says there are thousands of people who need to respond to requests for additional information before they can get their cash…
cut 15 (07) “….information”

A UL Lafayette biologist is conducting vegetable research with NASA and launching radishes to space on Thursday. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on a broad area of low pressure in the Caribbean that has a 50-percent chance of developing into a tropical depression late this week or over the weekend.

And former Louisiana Governor Mike Foster has entered hospice care. He’s 90-years-old and people close to the situation say it’s not COVID related.

The special session is underway and lawmakers will look to begin advancing legislation that will give them more of a say in coronavirus rules. Covington Representative Mark Wight has a bill to limit the amount of time a state of emergency declaration can go without legislative approval…
cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Former Louisiana Governor Mike Foster has entered hospice care. Foster served as the state’s governor from 1996 to 2004. He is 90-years-old.

Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says there are 22-million dollars available for the Frontline Worker Rebate Program, which had 50-million dollars available to spend. Robinson says over 110-thousand eligible workers have received their money…
cut 14 (03) “….rebates”
The Frontline Worker Rebate Program provides a 250- dollars payment to eligible workers who had to work during the economic shutdown in the spring. Robinson says thousands of people need to respond to additional information before they get their cash.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s office says they’ve seen a 200-percent increase in online sexual predator cases since the pandemic started. Louisiana Internet Crimes against Children Commander Corey Bourgeois says they are trying to keep up with the reported cases…
cut 9 (12) “…office”

Louisiana’s Republican Congressional delegation is thrilled with President Trump’s decision to nominate Metairie native Amy Coney Barrett for a seat on the U-S Supreme Court. Senator Bill Cassidy says Barrett is incredibly well-qualified and she walks the talk and D-C Democrats fear that
cut 12 (11) “…besides themselves”
Cassidy is running for re-election and his main opponent, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, has said the Senate should not vote a successor to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until next year.

Entergy Louisiana estimates the cost to repair the damage done to their equipment by Hurricane Laura is around one-point-four billion dollars. Entergy CEO Phillip May says they are exploring avenues to minimize as much as possible passing on recovery costs to customers…
cut 14 (09) “…our customers”

One month has passed since Hurricane Laura’s landfall on southwest Louisiana and the impacted communities have been working nonstop to get the area back to normal.
Cut 1 (28) “…Kevin Barnhart.”

Over in Opelousas, police have charged 24-year-old Maleke Guillory with two counts of negligent homicide after he fatally shot his pregnant girlfriend during an argument. The victim, 31-year-old Tyana Thomas was five-months pregnant.

And the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office is investigating the death of a two-year-old, who was found dead yesterday afternoon in a vehicle in a mobile home community. No other details have been released.

The Saints have their first two-game losing streak since 2017 as they lost to Green Bay 37-30 last night. A Taysom Hill fumble in the fourth quarter turned the momentum in the Packers favor, plus New Orleans committed eight penalties. Coach Sean Payton says his team is facing a bit of gut check…
cut 3 (08) “…the truth”
The Saints will look to rebound this Sunday in Detroit.

Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry says his office is looking into the six-day suspension a fourth-grade student received in Jefferson Parish after he was seen on webcam moving a BB gun during virtual class instruction. Landry says virtual classes are public spaces and do not have the same restrictions as physical school property…
cut 12 (08) “….precedent”
The Jefferson Parish Public School System is not commenting on the discipline the student received.

State lawmakers begin a 30-day special session tonight. The governor’s COVID-19 restrictions and whether the state legislature should have input will be a significant focus of the session.

Legislators will also discuss the unemployment trust fund, which is set to run out of money next week. Once it goes bankrupt, businesses face higher taxes, and unemployment recipients will see a smaller weekly check.

Governor Edwards has suggested using unspent dollars from the small business Main Street Recovery Grant program, but Senate President Page Cortez says all of those dollars are accounted for…
cut 9 (09) “….trust fund”

Legislators will also discuss Hurricane Laura Recovery. Jeremy Alford is the publisher of LA-Politics-dot-com…
cut 5 (06) “…area”
The special session is set to last 30 days.