The New Orleans Police Department believes Saturday night’s mass shooting that killed two men and one woman and wounded seven others was a gang related incident. Authorities say one of the victims was shot multiple times. Police say they are looking for two suspects.

Jim Bernhard rumors are swirling again as LaPolitics.com reports the former Shaw Group CEO is considering a run for the governor’s mansion in 2019. Bernhard now operates the energy investment firm Bernhard Capital Partners. LaPolitics Publisher Jeremy Alford says Bernhard has the deep pockets to challenge fellow Democrat, Governor John Bel Edwards.
Cut 4 (11) “pretty quickly”
Alford says he’s heard reports that backers of Governor Edwards have reached out to Bernhard to convince him not to run.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested Sherman Nash Junior for running a suspected dog fighting operation in the Wardville community of Pineville. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Voicer 2 (25) ”I’m Kevin Barnhart”

According to a new Gallup survey, most Americans see vapor cigarettes as better than traditional cigarettes. Tobacco treatment specialist at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital , Angel Lopez, says experts are debating vaping’s health risks.
Cut 7 (11) “…also risks involved.”
Lopez says e-cigarettes contain nicotine and other chemicals that can be harmful.

Will one of the richest men in Louisiana jump into the governor’s race in 2019? Connor Ferrill talks to LaPolitics about the new rumors.
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Connor Ferrill”

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office says they busted up a dog fighting operation when they discovered 17 Pit Bulls in a wooded area, all chained…
cut 11 (07) “…food or shelter”
That’s Captain Tommy Carnline who says deputies arrested Sherman Nash Junior and more arrests are possible.

Several Democrats running for Congress in Louisiana say they support Medicare for All. Sixth District candidate Andie Saizon, who’s running against Congressman Garret Graves, says the country needs to take corporate profit out of the health care equation…
cut 14 (09) “…a problem”
But the progressive Democratic push for national healthcare may not mean much in a red state like Louisiana. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Medicare for All may be popular with voters, but it’s unlikely to result in any fall upsets in Louisiana.
Cut 15 (10) “in trouble.”
Five Republican Congressmen from Louisiana are up for re-election in November.

New Orleans Police are asking for the public’s help in finding the shooters involved in Saturday night’s mass shooting outside of a strip mall, where three people were killed and seven wounded. Investigators believe the incident is gang related

A formerly fringe position has taken off as a new Democratic norm in Louisiana. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (32) “I’m Matt Doyle”

There’s research out there that claims vaping is a smoking cessation aid. But Tobacco treatment specialist, Angel Lopez, with Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge, recommends other options….
cut 9 (05) “….Chantix or Willbutrin”
GfK Global’s Knowledge Panel found thta 90-percent of smokers who vaped at the beginning of their study, were still smoking a year later.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office has uncovered what they believe is a dog fighting operation, following a lengthy investigation. The initial tips from the public began to surface in April, but Capt. Tommy Carnline says it wasn’t until recently that the agency received the intel they needed to make the discovery.
Cut 10 (09) “…pin down an area.”
Sherman Lane Nash Junior was arrested and later released on a 13-thousand dollar bond.

No arrests yet in Saturday night’s fatal shooting outside of a strip mall in New Orleans where three people were killed and seven injured. Authorities say they are looking for two shooters in what police are calling a gang related mass shooting.

Five Amite residents are facing federal charges for allegedly torturing a 22-year-old autistic woman, forcing her to eat dog feces and drink her mother’s ashes. But LSU Health Science Center New Orleans Forensic Psychiatrist Graham Spruiell wants to caution the public against assuming the defendants are suffering from mental illness.
Cut 12 (12) “psychopathic”
Prosecutors say the woman was also locked in a six-foot-eight chicken cage.

Morning Consult conducted a poll of Louisiana residents from April to June and found that 49-percent approve of Governor John Bel Edwards performance. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says previous polls had Edwards rating higher. He blames the three special sessions…
cut 7 (07) “…decline”

Entergy customers can look to forward to lower bills in the near future…
Cut 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Alexandria is playing host to all nine divisions of the Dixie Girls Softball World Series, which is estimated to bring in over five thousand visitors. The Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates the week-long event will have quite the economic impact to the area. CVB Executive Director, Sherry Ellington…
Cut 9 (08) “so that’s huge.”

A Morning Consult poll shows Governor John Bel Edwards’ approval rating slipped under 50 percent during the brutal legislative sessions between April and June. Edwards’ has maintained one of the highest approval ratings for a Democratic governor, but ULM Political Science Professor Dr. Joshua Stockley says it appears the threats to public services during the sessions took their toll.
Cut 6 (10) “at that.”
Despite the slip in total approval rating, the Governor’s unfavorable rating is still 15 points lower at 35 percent.

For the last decade, more than one million Entergy customers throughout the state have been paying charges to cover the cost of repairs to damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell says he’s got good news for those feeling the pinch on the power bill.
Cut 3 (07) “…rate reduction in September.”
Former Entergy Louisiana customers will see an average monthly reduction of $5.44. Former Entergy Gulf States will see an average reduction of $3.14 to their bill.

Fifty years ago, there wasn’t a single brown pelican to be found in the pelican state. The demise of the population can be traced back to the use of the pesticide DDT. But the population of the bird has since rebounded to about 100,000 throughout Louisiana. LDWF Nongame Bird Biologist Michael Seymour says the rejuvenation effort began in the late 1960s.
Cut 13 (12) “…north of Grand Isle.”
Seymour says there’s now over eight-thousand adult pelicans on Queen Bess island.

A chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has appealed a federal judge’s decision that allows for the removal of a confederate monument from the courthouse grounds in Caddo Parish. The United Daughters of the Confederacy says the Caddo Parish Commission does not have the authority to remove the monument, because it’s on private land.

Five Amite residents are now facing federal charges for allegedly beating and forcing an autistic woman to eat dog feces. The victim was held captive for a year in mobile home after her mother died. According to court documents, when authorities found the woman, she was malnourished, covered in insect bites and living oustide in a six-by-eight foot chicken cage. The five people facing federal charges range in age from 20 to 45-years-old.

The state’s brown pelican population went from zero in the 1960s to now 100-thousand as a result of the state’s repopulation program, which started when seven-hundred young birds were brought from Florida to Queen Bess Island, northeast of Grand Isle. LDWF nongame bird biologist Michael Seymour says efforts are underway to restore that island, which has been eroding away and the BP spill didn’t help either…
cut 14 (08) “…several thousand birds”

A Grambling State Communications graduate student is getting a boost from Queen B, in the form of a 25,000 dollar scholarship award. Becca Dill has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Becca Dill”

With a new high school sports season set to begin, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association is once again looking for officials for the sports they oversee. Lee Sanders is the new director of officials at the LHSAA…
cut 12 (06) “…love being around it”
Go to LHSOA.com for more information.