Governor John Bel Edwards announces a Texas-based company will open a techonology center in New Orleans that will employ 350 workers. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says Accruent says is a software and information technology firm that focuses on digital integration in real estate…
cut 10 (12) “….in the market”
Accruent is already hiring and they plan to be fully staffed by 2020.

The state is returning two-point-three million dollars from its Unclaimed Property program to a north Louisiana resident….
cut 4 (07) “….know about”
That’s State Treasurer John Schroder who says this is the largest amoung ever returned to one person in the program’s history. The average is claim is around 900-dollars.

Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the budget signed by the governor for next fiscal year doesn’t contain enough money for the state to operate the federally-funded food stamps program in 2019. Walters says if additional funding is not raised in next week’s special session, one-thousand staff members who help distribute food stamps will be laid off in January and some 45-hundred businesses that service food stamp recipients will also feel the impact….
cut 14 (11) “….DCFS”
Louisiana distributes one-point-four billion dollars in federal food stamps every year to low-income households.

The National Hurricane Center tells us they are monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Seat that has low chance of tropical formation this week. The weather system is approaching the Gulf of Mexico, but at the moment seems like a bigger concern for Mexico than the United States.

The third special session of 2018 will begin next Monday. Governor John Bel Edwards is still looking for a fix to the fiscal cliff. The governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Carbo says after the legislature failed to replace a large portion of the 1.4 billion dollars in temporary taxes that expire June 30th, they had no choice but to give it one more try….
Cut 14 (11) “unfunded”

The Department of Children and Family Services warns that unless more funding is approved, the food stamps program will be shut down. The money on SNAP cards comes from the feds, but the state has to foot much of the administrative bill, and the current budget leaves no money for it. Secretary Marketa Walters says one in five Louisianans are at risk of going hungry.
Cut 12 (10) “about it”

The Louisiana Department of Treasury announces it has returned two-point-three million dollars to a north Louisiana resident. It’s the largest amount returned in the history of the Unclaimed Property Program. State Treasurer John Schroder says the money was from unclaimed oil royalities from a deceased relative. He says they also collect old bank accounts, insurance proceeds, utility deposits and other business funds…
cut 5 (10) “..our webiste”

A tech firm out of Austin, Texas, announces plans to open an office in New Orleans, which will lead to 350 more jobs in the Central Business District. Accruent plans to begin commerical operations later this month and the first has already started hiring.

This year’s special session trilogy is set to begin its final chapter June 18th. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (31) ” I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor John Bel Edwards announced this morning that Austin, Texas, based Accruent will bring 350-jobs to New Orleans as the tech company plans to open an office in the city’s Central Business District. Accruent has already started hiring and is expected to reach full employment in New Orleans by 2020.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is looking at alternative ways to promote the state’s new tourism slogan, “Feed Your Soul,” as the state agency could be impacted by budget cuts. Nungesser says he’s talking to LSU, about having a Feed Your Soul logo visible along the sidelines at Tiger Stadium and also looking towards the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board to assist with marketing efforts as well …
Cut 13 (08) “…in Louisiana”

The state department of transportation reports there are 800 accidents every year just west of Baton Rouge on interstate 10. The DOTD has taken multiple measures to ensure the safety along this stretch of highway. Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says it also comes down to the responsibility of drivers….
Cut 5 (10) “…and for others”
Mallet says that 77 percent of the 800 accidents are from people not paying attention.

Bulletproof backpacks can be brought into public schools this year thanks to legislation approved in the regular session. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth authored the legislation and he says due to demand, he’s heard there’s a wait to purchase the protective gear. Walsworth says even with a mesh backpack, you can purchase a kevlar plate to provide protection…
cut 8 (11) “….through that pretty easily”
Bulletproof backpacks were previoulsy illegal in the classroom, because body armour was not allowed in public schools.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard says an investigation into a double fatal home invasion in Denham Springs has taken some interesting turns and his detectives are following the evidence. Ard has not released the identities of the two people killed. The sheriff has increased patrols in the area.

The Edwards administration is gearing up for a third special session of 2018 as the governor will once again ask legislators to raise revenues to avoid cuts to TOPS, education, the food stamps program and the department of corrections. The governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Carbo says they were seven votes shy in the second special session of passing a bill to replace a half-penny of an expiring one-cent sales tax…
cut 15 (10) “…have passed”
The state’s tourism office is facing cuts as well. That will make it difficult for Louisiana to promote its new “Feed Your Soul” tourism campaign. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser may turn to college students, who love using social media…
Cut 12 (12) “in Louisiana”

A third special session of 2018 will begin next Monday and once again legislators will be asked to replace expiring sales taxes in an effort to avoid deep budget cuts. During the second special session, lawmakers approved a budget that contains over 500-million dollars in cuts. Governor Edwards signed the spending plan, Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Carbo explains why….
cut 16 (07) “…to take

The state department of education is one of several departments that will see a budget cut, unless additional revenues are not raised. State Superintendent of Education John White says based on the current budget for next fiscal year, L-A-four, which is a taxpayer-funded pre-k program would see a 10-to-20-percent cut, which means fewer students….
cut 11 (12) “….cut to LA 4”

There are nearly 800 crashes annually along a notorious stretch of Interstate 10 just west of the Mississippi River. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallet says a video recently released showcasing accident data on the agency’s Facebook page is a stern message to distracted drivers who are to blame for the lion’s share of the accidents.
Cut 4 (12) “…paying attention or tailgating.”
Mallet says that 77 percent of the 800 accidents are the result of distracted driving.

Authorities say a female suspect stole a Monroe police car yesterday and drove it on I-20 before crashing the vehicle in Lincoln Parish after hitting spike strips put in place by Louisiana State Police. Monroe P-D says the incident started when an officer attempted to arrest the suspect, she ended up manipulating the hand restraints and took off with the cruiser.