48.9 million Americans will travel for the 4th of July holiday according to AAA. Matt Doyle has more on the record-breaking numbers…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

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St. Bernard Parish President Brian McInnis pleads for federal aid for the struggling seafood industry. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.” 

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Uber goes statewide today.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

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A record 48.9 million Americans are expected to make a trip for the 4thof July, a 4.1 percent increase over last year.

AAA Analyst Don Redman says locally in the Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas region, 4.7 million people will travel…

Cut 4 (06) “…airplane.”

Nationally, 4 million travelers will take to the skies, a 5.5 percent increase over last year, with airfare costs up 10 percent over last year.

Redman says most of that travel increase can be traced back to an improved economy, but some of it is likely to do with more friendly prices at the pump…

Cut 5    (09) “..go up” 

The average price for a gallon of regular in Louisiana sits at $2.35.

Record numbers of travelers means congestion for some of the state’s troubled spots for heavy traffic. Redman says be prepared for a longer commute home today…

Cut 6 (11) “…area”

AAA estimates the average traffic delay to increase by nine percent today.

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St. Bernard Parish President Brian McInnis calls on the feds to provide immediate relief in the form of disaster aid to help the struggling seafood industry.  Freshwater pouring from the Mississippi River into the area due to the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway is having devastating effects on the region’s largest economic driver.

Cut 7 (11) “…gulf seafood harvesting.”

The spillway was opened in an effort to reduce the burden on levees in the New Orleans area.  As part of his plea, McInnis says Congress must require the 30 other states that drain into the Mississippi to do their part to manage the flow of water.

Cut 8 (07) “…supplies the world.”

McInnis says the plea for relief has the full support of the parish council, state and federal representatives.  The parish is the home of two refineries and says if a similar shutdown happened, more immediate attention would be received.

Cut 9 (12) “…take so much.”

The parish has organized a trip to DC to state their case next week.
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Over the last several years, the popularity of rideshares services such as Uber and Lyft has grown, but it hasn’t been a transportation option in all areas of Louisiana.  But Uber South spokesperson Trevor Theunissen says Uber services begin in statewide today ahead of the 4^th of July holiday.

Cut 10 (10) “…and rural areas.”

Theunissen says Uber has been available in large metro areas of the state for several years, but faced hurdles with parish-by-parish approval of regulations.

Cut 11 (09) “…regulations that applied.”

Theunissen says an aggressive campaign is kicking off to recruit drivers who want to make a little extra money.

Cut 12 (11) “…throughout the state.”

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A stretch of highway in Cajun Country running from I-10/I-49 South to Raceland was named Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Highway at an unveiling ceremony last night featuring both the current and former Governors.

Franklin Representative Sam Jones was there and says it’s a fantastic way to honor one of the great Cajuns in state history.

Cut 13 (11) “…pathfinder”

Blanco served from 2004-2008, and has “made peace” with her battle against cancer that’s left her wheelchair bound.

Blanco was Governor during the Hurricane Katrina disaster and tumultuous two years afterwards. Jones says it’s taken a while for the state to fully see the fruits of her recovery work, but…

Cut 14 (09) “…New Orleans.”

Jones highlighted her work getting the Super Dome back in action for the Saints 2007 season.

Jones served in the Blano Administration during Katrina, and says he remembers seeing her national media slamming the Governor just days after the storm landed. When he tried to warn her about those attacks…

Cut 15 (13) “…was”

Blanco would not seek a second term, and drop out before the 2007 Governor’s primary vote.

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After suffering catastrophic damage from an EF-3 tornado in April, Louisiana Tech has made the decision to demolish the baseball, softball, and soccer stadiums this summer.  Athletic Director Tommy McClelland says after extensive surveys, they came to the conclusion that trying to salvage those sites just wouldn’t be safe.

Cut 16  (07) “…things”  

The tornado caused hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage and took the lives of two people.

McClelland says they’re working on cutting a deal for fall baseball and softball practice at nearby high schools, including potentially altering class schedules to accommodate, but the games themselves could be played all over…

cut 17 (10) “Mississippi” 

Soccer reports to practice August 1^st, but McClelland says they’ve worked out a deal with a local rec complex to host most practices and games.

With the old facilities condemned, McClelland says they’ve begun plans to construct new facilities, and they’ve hired an architect familiar with stadium construction to build something fans will be proud of.

The former Marksville deputy marshal sentenced to 7.5 years for his role in the 2015 fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy during a chase is out of prison after serving less than two years. Brooke Thorington has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries raises the nutria bounty from $5 to $6 per tail for the upcoming season in hopes it will entice hunters to step up the fight against the invasive species. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut 2 (28) I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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Former Marksville Deputy Marshal Norris Greenhouse Junior, sent to jail for his role in the shooting death of a six-year-old boy during a 2015 car chase, is a free man after serving less than two years of a 7.5 year sentence for negligent homicide and malfeasance in office. Legal analyst Franz Borghart says inmates convicted on non-violent charges typically do not serve their entire sentence

Cut 3 (10) “…25-percent”

The state department of corrections says Greenhouse earned the early release by completing pre-release and anger management programs, earning an associate degree and time served. Attorney General Jeff Landry says he’s disappointed by Greenhouse’s early release but Borghart says…

Cut 4 (09) “…resolve it”

The other Marskville deputy involved in the shooting, Derrick Stafford, is serving a 40-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction. While Greenhouse will remain on community supervision through 2025. Borghart says some might be disappointed by his early release, but state law allows for it…

Cut 5 (05) “…this case.”

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A female is recovering after being shot and being dumped off on the side of Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge.  Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola says police responded to call about a woman walking on the interstate near the I-110 Split.

Cut 6 (10) “…of the interstate.”

Coppola says the suspect, 28-year-old Gerry Byrd, fled to Mississippi where he was shot by law enforcement in the Woodville area after they were alerted he was in a parking lot, waving two semi-auto pistols in the air.

Cut 7 (10) “…officer-involved shooting.”

Coppola says the suspect was brought back to Baton Rouge to be treated for his injuries.

Cut 8 (09) “…at this time.”

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“Operation Murder Gang Meltdown”, a cross agency narcotics taskforce in Terrebonne Parish is nearing an end after the arrests of 18 suspects and the seizure of significant amounts of drugs.

Terrebonne Parish Chief Deputy Terry Daigre says the taskforce has made some major seizures.

Cut 9 (10) “…as well.”

Hakeam Drane, Spencer Round Jr., and Early Johnson were some of the suspects recently busted in the investigation.

Dagire says the taskforce included Sherriff’s departments from nearby parishes and State Police and ran for about two years unearthing the drug trade.

Cut 10 (10) “…the way”

And the name of the operation wasn’t just pulled out of thin air. Daige says it drew its catchy title from the group at the center of this particular drug bust.

Cut 11 (11) “…murder gang.”

The task force secured over a million dollars in street value worth of drugs during the two-year operation.

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is raising the bounty on nutria tails for the season that starts November 1^st.  LDWF biologist Catherine Normand says the bounty program has been in place since 2002, and has resulted in reducing the toll the invasive species of rodent has taken on the wetlands.

Cut 12 (09)   “…the upcoming season.”

Normand says the money is provided by the feds and the raise comes with the hope that the higher bounty will entice more catches, getting numbers back to average.

Cut 13 (10) “…of nutria damage.”  

The rodent is estimated to have destroyed over 14,000 acres of wetlands this past season.

At one point, there was a fur market for the nutria, and the state didn’t have an issue with rodents causing damage to the wetlands because of the number of hunters keeping the population down and keep them from overgrazing.

Cut 14 (10) “…along our coast.” 

The rodent is credited with destroying around 82,000 acres of wetland in 2003, but about 5 years ago that was cut down to 4000 acres.