Hurricane Harvey is intensifying as it moves towards the Texas coast for landfall on Friday night or early Saturday morning. Eric Blake, with the National Hurricane Center, says Louisiana faces the potential for 6 to 15 inches of rain, the heaviest in southwest Louisiana. He says as of right now Texas will get the worst of it.
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The official forecast track has Harvey heading towards Louisiana after spending the weekend along the Texas coast. Governor John Bel Edwards says the Louisiana National Guard has over a half million sandbags available and agencies are prepping for water rescues…
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The state Department of Education is seeking to train 500 teachers to become mentors for aspiring educators. Emelie Gunn has more…
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Baton Rouge Police have charged a 20-year-old Ponchatoula man with negligent homicide for fatally shooting a 19-year-old Hammond girl as they were driving down Florida Boulevard on Tuesday. Authorities say James Seymore was playing with a hand gun, when it off, striking Briana Hornsby, who died at a local hospital.

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is expected to be a Category 3 storm when it slams into the Texas coastline early Saturday. Eric Blake with the N-H-C says the storm is quickly strengthening.
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Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency. Edwards says this is a serious storm that everyone should take seriously.
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Edwards says the biggest concern is in southwest Louisiana, where the most rainfall will happen and the greatest storm surge affects will occur, but the entire state could see high rainfall totals. He says the National Guard has over a half million sandbags available.
Twenty-five years ago today Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Florida and two days later left a path of destruction through southeast Louisiana. Former WAFB Meteorologist Mike Graham says we’ve seen bigger disasters since then from Katrina to last year’s devastating floods..:
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Louisiana customers who use WalMart to conduct money tranfers can use a new feature called Express Money Services. Company spokesperson Erin Hulliberger says instead of filling out paperwork at the store, you can enter the information into the WalMart app…
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She says customers will use a dedicated Express Lane at the store to complete the transaction.

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is rapidly intensifying as it approaches the Texas coast and southwestern parishes are gearing up…
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

A third relative has been arrested in Webster Parish in the bizarre case of a seven-year-old who shot his aunt twice. The child’s grandmother, 64-year-old Cheryl Lee of Shreveport was booked on obstruction of justice as she allegedly tried to cover up the shooting. The boy’s mother and grandfater are also facing charges.

Foster Farms announces a $30 million dollar expansion and upgrade to its poultry processing plant in Farmerville. Louisiana Economic Development expects this will create 50 new jobs. Farmerville Mayor Stein Baughman says this strengthens the town’s relationship with the company..:
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Foster Farms will receive a $500,000 Modernization Tax Credit.

Walmart says Louisiana customers can use their new Express Money Services to perform money transfers. Wamart spokesperson Erin Hulliberger says this will save shoppers time…
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She says customers no longer need to fill out lengthy money transfer paperwork in stores; now this work can be done at home or with the Walmart App.

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency so Louisiana can put assets in place to prepare for Hurricane Harvey. Harvey is expected to intensify into a Category Three storm and strike the central Texas coast early Saturday morning. National Hurricane Center Forecaster Eric Blake says once Harvey reaches the coast it will become stationary…
cut 7 (08) “…southeastern Texas”
Edwards says the biggest concern is in southwest Louisiana, where the most rainfall will happen and the greatest storm surge affects will occur, but the entire state could see high rainfall totals. He says agencies are ready to conduct water rescues…
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Foster Farms is making a 30-million dollar investment into its poultry plant in Farmerville. Construction has started and it will lead to 50 more jobs. In 2009, the facility almost closed, but former Governor Bobby Jindal worked out a deal with Foster Farms to keep the plant open and Farmerville Mayor Stein Baughman says the town has been grateful ever since….
cut 5 (10) “….30 million dollars”

Walmart launches a new service for Louisiana customers who use the retail giant to perform money transfers. It’s called Express Money Services. Walmart spokesperson Erin Hulliberger says customers no longer need to fill out lengthy money transfer paperwork in stores; now, this work can be done at home or on-the-go using the Walmart App…
cut 16 (09) “…time and money”

The 10 AM advisory from the national hurricane center is now calling for Tropical Storm Havey to be a Category Three Hurricane before making landfall in Texas. Michelle Southern has more on the Louisiana impact from State Climatologist Barry Keim…
voicer 5 (24) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

As of now there are no watches or warnings in Louisiana as a result of Harvey. Calcasieu Emergency Preparedness Director Dick Gremillion says when the heavy rain starts to fall, stay off the roads….
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Louisiana Higher Education Commissioner Joe Rallo has announced he will retire next June, so the state needs a new leader to oversee public colleges. Rallo has been the state’s higher ed leader since 2015.

Foster Farms has announced a 30-million dollar upgrade to its poultry plant in Farmerville. Construction has started and it will lead to 50 more jobs. In 2009, the facility almost closed, but former Governor Bobby Jindal worked out a deal with Foster Farms to keep the plant open.

St. Martinville wants to be known as the “Pepper City of the World.” Mayor Pro Tem Mike Fuselier says it would be an appropriate title considering the many different types of peppers that grow in the area….
cut 6 (07) “…habanero”
St. Martinville will ask the legislature next year to pass a resolution designating the Acadiana town as the “Pepper City of the World.”

And the Gueydan Duck Festival gets underway tonight in Vermilion Parish.

No surprise when it comes to who will be LSU’s starting quarterback in the regular season opener against BYU. Danny Etling has been named the starter, but Head Coach Ed Orgeron says freshman Myles Brennan finished a close second in the quarterback derby. Orgeron says Brennan fought hard for the job, but was understanding and respectful of the decision..
cut 15 (07) “…they cheered”
Orgeron says Etling has been consistent during camp and his experience also gives him an edge. O” says Brennan has exceeded expectations during camp, but he’s still a rookie…
cut 13 (14) “…fantastic balls”
The starters are expected to play in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Houston Texans. Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson, Mark Ingram, Zach Strief and Cam Jordan have yet to play in the preseason, but Coach Sean Payton strongly hinted they’ll see action against the Texans. Also, center Max Unger has been removed from the physically unable to perform list.

Southern Lab High School has to vacate its two football state championships in 2016 and 15, because an independent investigation uncovered evidence the school recruited players who lived outside of the attendance zone and provided payments or inducements that regular students do not receive. Kittens Head Football Coach Marcus Randall has been fired and the LHSAA has suspended the former LSU quarterback for a year.

Not only does Shreveport mayor Ollie Tyler want to build a 30-million dollar sports complex for an NBA minor league team for the New Orleans Pelicans, she’s also proposing a training camp practice facility for the Saints. It’s unclear if the city will fund the mayor’s proposal.