Qualifying for the October 14th election begins today and one of the big races is for New Orleans Mayor. Emelie Gunn has more on the seat being vacated by Mitch Landrieu…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”
______________________________________
On October 14 voters will choose a new state treasurer, but qualifying begins today. Halen Doughty has more on what to expect from the race…
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”
______________________________________
Three Walmart stores in south Louisiana saw substantial losses after a string of arsons in Tangipahoa Parish. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 3 (30) “Jeff Palermo”
______________________________________________________________
Qualifying begins today for the October 14th statewide and municipal elections. One of the big races is for the seat being vacated by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Political Analyst says the biggest surprise with this election is the big names that have decided not to run. He says typically when the incumbent cannot seek reelection because of term limits, you see a very large field.
Cut 4 (10) “Cantrell”
Dubos says two other candidates have announced but they are much less known because they have never held political office. He says big names like, Speaker Pro-Tempore Walt Leger, and State Senators JP Morell and Karen Carter Peterson have decided not to run for the post.
Cut 5 (09) “a surprise”
Dubos says a big reason for a smaller pool of candidates is the lack of donors giving money. He says the entire world is going to be watching this election as New Orleans is an iconic city and being the mayor of a big city is a very hard job.
Cut 6 (07) “elsewhere”
________________________________________________________
Qualifying begins today for the state treasurer race, after John Kennedy vacated the office to become a US Senator. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says this is the first time this post has been open since 2000, so it should be interesting. He says the fact that Kenner Representative Julie Stokes dropped out, could open it up to other contenders.
Cut 7 (09) “in the race”
Cross says many politicians see this office as a stepping stone to higher positions, as Kennedy did when he moved to the US Senate. He says that makes it a coveted position, and things could get heated. He says Colombia Senator Neil Riser and former Covington Representative John Schroder will be candidates to watch.
Cut 8 (12) “this seat”
Cross says this will be a competitive race that will likely end with a runoff. He says the real question, however, will be how many voters will turnout at the polls. He says many don’t even know there is an election, much less who is running.
Cut 9 (09) “come out ahead”
The election is Saturday, October 14.
________________________________________________________
It looks as though with year will be a good one for the brown shrimp harvest in the Gulf of Mexico. According to NOAA’s annual forecast, the harvest is expected to yield 44.2 million pounds, which is above the predicted value for the last two years. Dr. Rick Hart with the National Marine Fisheries Service says many factors in the water are adding up to lead to a productive season.
Cut 10 (08) “for harvest”
Although the predicted harvest is up from the last two years, it’s below the historical 56-year average of 56.2 pounds. Hart says moderate salinities combined with strong, consistent southerly winds have increased available nursery area and allowed for the greater distribution of juvenile shrimp.
Cut 11 (08) “shrimps”
The prediction covers the period from July 2017 through June 2018 for state and federal waters off Louisiana and federal waters off Texas. Hart says the U.S. heavily relies of Gulf caught shrimp.
Cut 12 (08) “the Gulf”
_________________________________________________
An Amite Walmart that was set on fire last weekend sustained over a million dollars in damage. That’s according to Sheriff Daniel Edwards, who says much of the damage was to the inventory in the store, not structural damage to the building. He says 45-year-old Larry Schouest of Hammond combined chemicals to start the fire.
Cut 13 (13) “a fire”
Edwards says the chemical smoke from the fire ruined all of the contents in the building. Schouest is accused of setting a string of fires in south Louisiana Walmart’s, beginning in Ponchatoula on June 27. From there, Schouest allegedly set fire to the Amite Walmart and one in Hammond on Saturday.
Cut 14 (09) “from the store”
Edwards says they suspect the Hammond store may have sustained similar losses. He says Schouest is facing two counts of aggravated arson, six counts of felony theft, and charges of criminal damage to property. More charges could be filed as the investigation is ongoing.
Cut 15 (09) “drug habit”
____________________________________________________
LSU will resume its rivalry with Florida on October 7th. The Gators have yet to decide on a starting quarterback for the 2017 season. They have several options including former LSU commitment Felipe Franks and Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire. At SEC Media Days, Florida Coach Jim McElwain talked about what he’s looking for from his starting Q-B…..
Cut 16 (19) “fall camp”
LSU’s SEC opener is September 16th at Mississippi State. Nick Fitzgerald returns as the Bulldogs starting Q-B. The last time he played, Fitzgerald had 258 rushing yards, two rushing TDS and three passing touchdowns in a blowout win over Ole Miss. State Head Coach Dan Mullens is excited to see what Fitzgerald can do this year…
Cut 17 (18) “last year”