The 2019 Louisiana Survey shows a majority of Louisiana residents oppose gun restrictions as 57-percent oppose banning the sale of assault weapons and 61-percent oppose banning high capacity ammunition magazines. LSU Public Policy Research Lab director Doctor Michael Henderson says they asked respondents about three different proposals to restrict firearms and only one received majority support…
cut 15 (07) “…other individuals”
Henderson says 69-percent of those polled say a law should be put in place to prevent people with mental illness from purchasing guns.

President of the Crawfish Research and Promotion Board David Savoy says the supply of mudbugs is not where it should be for an Easter weekend. Savoy says the cool spring is partly to blame…
cut 9 (07) “…very much”
Savoy says yesterday’s severe weather also slowed production.

The family of Kathleen Blanco has told the Advocate that the state’s only female governor is not on the verge of passing. Previous reports said Blanco had entered into hospice. The family says while she is not able to walk, she still visits friends and loved ones by getting around on an electric scooter. The family defined the care as “hospice assistance” and say she is no longer seeking treatment for her cancer.

The Joe Alleva era is over and come Tuesday new LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward will have to answer questions on the future of Tiger athletics…
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

School voucher advocates are hoping the legislature doesn’t come after their 40 million dollar program to pay for the Governor’s requested 39 million dollar public school funding increase. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The GoFundMe campaign for the three historically black churches burned down in St. Landry parish has surpassed two million dollars. The website says over 37-thousand people have donated money to help rebuild the churches. The Seventh District Baptist Association says 100-percent of all funds will be evenly distributed to the three churches affected.

With this being Easter weekend, the demand for crawfish reaches its peak, but President of the Crawfish Research and Promotion board David Savoy says mudbugs are not hitting the traps like they should, so the supply is lower than normal for an Easter weekend…
cut 8 (11) “….attracting other crawfish”
Savoy says the severe weather that hit the state yesterday also has hurt production.

With the hiring of Scott Woodward has LSU’s new athletics director, some Tiger fans are wondering what this might mean for football coach Ed Orgeron. Tiger Rag Editor James Moran says the seat is far from getting hot for Coach O
cut 11 (10) “…anywhere”
Bad loss for the LSU baseball team last night as they were swamped by Florida 16-9. The Cajuns and La Tech also lost on the baseball diamond.

New LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward will be introduced to Tiger Nation on Tuesday. Tiger Rag Editor James Moran says Woodward’s first order of duty is to figure out what’s going on with the men’s basketball program as Coach Will Wade could be called to testify in a federal college basketball corruption trial that begins next week in New York…
Cut 10 (09) “…shakes out.”
No word on how much Woodward will make at LSU, he was raking in 900-thousand a year in College Station.

A survey from LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab finds that 57-percent of Louisiana residents oppose banning the sale of assault weapons and 61-percent oppose banning high capacity ammunition magazines. And LSU’s Doctor Michael Henderson says a majority of residents also support at least one form of expanding gun rights…
cut 14 (05) “…carry permit”
But attempts in the legislature for teachers to possess guns in the classroom or allow guns on college campuses have failed to pass.

Governor John Bel Edwards is looking to add 39-million dollars into the public school budget for next fiscal year, but he’s receiving push back. Ann Duplessis is the president of the Louisiana Federation of Children, which is an advocate for the state’s voucher program and she says more money might not be the answer for the state’s pulbic schools…
cut 6 (07) “…differently”
Duplessis says 96-percent of families involved in the state’s voucher program are pleased with their child’s academic progress at their new school.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s office says they’ve charged a 54-year-old man with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Robert Stevenson. Deputies say the teenager was shot in the chest during a disturbance that took place outside of a home in Natalbany. Ricky Nelson of Indpendence was taken into custody.

Baton Rouge native Scott Woodward is the new athletics director at LSU. The LSU grad will be formally welcomed back on Tuesday. Woodward was the director of LSU’s external affairs from 2000 to 2004 and most recently the A-D at Texas A-and-M.

The latest data from the Louisiana survey shows how Louisiana residents feel about recreational marijuana and sports betting. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

The western side of the state is dry, but strong storms capable of producing a tornado are move through areas west of Monroe and Lafayette. National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Efferson says while tornadoes are the biggest threat, we can also see other forms of severe weather….
cut 10 (08) “…pretty significant”
The good news is that once this severe weather moves out, it looks dry for the Easter weekend.

Federal, state and local officials have broken ground on the Comite River Diversion project, a long-delayed flood control project that can benefit East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes. Central mayor David Barrow…
cut 13 (11) “…three years”
Officials say this flood control project could have prevented flooding to hundreds of homes during the August flood of 2016.

Baton Rouge native Scott Woodward is the new LSU athletics director, after spending the last four years leading the Texas A-and-M athletic department. Matt Doyle talked with a Lone Star State writer about what to expect…
Voicer 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”

A tornado watch is in effect until seven PM tonight. It covers northeast Louisiana parishes, a portion of Cenla and much of south Louisiana. A strong line of storms, extending north of Natchez and south of Lafayette is moving to the east.

The final installment of the Louisiana Survey from LSU finds there’s majority support for both legalized sports betting and legalizing recreational marijuana. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Doctor Michael Henderson says it’s unlikely that the state will legalize pot anytime soon, but a sports betting bill could pass in this legislative session…
cut 8 (12) “…support for this”
Senator Danny Martiny’s sports betting bill is expected to get its first committee hearing on Tuesday.

Ground has been broken on the 450 million dollar Comite Diversion project. Baton Rouge area governmental leaders say the flood control project is long overdue. Central Mayor David Barrow says it has the potential to reduce the flood risk for many homeowners
Cut 12 (12) “…damage”
Construction is expected to be complete by 2021.

LSU has officially announced that Scott Woodward is the university’s next athletic director. Woodward has been Texas A-and-M’s athletic director since 2016 and also had the same job at Washington for eight years. Glen Guilbeau, covers LSU for the USA Today Network and says Woodward is a Baton Rouge native…
cut 13 (06) “…Louisiana”
Woodward recently hired Jimbo Fisher as the Aggies football coach and just hired Buzz Williams as the new A-and-M basketball coach.

The Louisiana SPCA is advising families don’t purchase a rabbit as a gift for Easter, unless you are really prepared to take care of the animal. The organization receives dozens of bunnies after the Easter holiday from owners with buyer’s remorse. Louisiana SPCA spokesperson Rebecca Melanson says there are great alternatives to giving bunnies and baby chickens as gifts at Easter…
cut 12 (07) “….for real chicks”

At the Capitol, a bill has been filed that seeks to guarantee all Louisianans 12 weeks of paid family or medical illness leave. A group called Louisiana Families First is push for support for the proposal. A small payroll tax would help pay for a state run program that would hand out partial checks to workers on leave. Louisiana Families First spokesperson Caitlin Berni says 82 percent of those polled were on board with his concept
Cut 9 (09) “…employee″
The bill is being sponsored by New Orleans Senator JP Morrell.

Heavy rainfall has been falling on the western side of Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says one to two inches of rain could fall in a short period of time…
cut 5 (05) “…careful with that”
Most of the northern half of the state is under a flash flood watch and so is southeast Louisiana. There’s also a threat for tornadoes later today.