A woman whose body was found in the charred remains of her burned out home in Julywas the wife of Fire Chief Steve Krentel.  However, the St. Tammany Corner officially ruled Nanette Krentel’s death as a homicide by a gunshot wound.  Sheriff Randy Smith does not dispute the ruling, but is concerned about the timing of the announcement, because there’s more to determine in this case…

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Sheriff Smith says that Fire Chief Krentel has been cleared in the murder investigation.

An arrest has been made in the murder of a St. Martin Parish woman who was eight months pregnant. Major Ginny Higgins says this is very unfortunate as the life of a baby and mother were lost.

Cut 8 (10) “very sad”

32-year-old Toni Trimble Thomas was charged with the stabbing death of Ashely Nicole Meche and her baby.

A young man is dead and LSU is investigating the circumstances at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house.  East Baton Rouge Coroner Beau Clark says 18 year old Maxwell Gruver passed away at a hospital after he was transported there from campus. A school spokesperson says they are aware of the incident and will report more information when it becomes available.

TOPS for grown ups? The leader of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System likes the idea. Emelie Gunn has the story…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

St Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith says a fire chief has been cleared of his wife’s death.  Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1  (30)  “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Two men died this morning after a head-on collision between a car and an 18 wheeler truck on Louisiana highway 124 near the Winn and LaSalle Parish line.  The fatal crash took the lives of 22 year old Logan Franklin from Olla and 26 year old David Lincecum of Grayson. State Police both victims were not wearing a seat belt.

A suspect is under arrest in the stabbing of Ashley Nicole Meche, which led to her death and the death of her unborn child.  St. Martin Parish Sheriff charged Toni Trimble Thomas with first degree murder and first degree feticide.  Major Ginny Higgins says at one point Thomas’ brother Mark Timble was questioned but then released.  He was the boyfriend of the victim.

Cut 7    (07) “…what occurred.”

Authorities are still investigating possible motives.

Architectural Digest has honored one public high school from all 50 states as the most beautiful high school in their respective state.  The magazine’s choice in Louisiana is Neville High School in Monroe.  Executive Director of the school’s Alumni Association (DAN-UH) Dana Jefferson says it’s a great honor

Cut 14    (10)  “…to this historic school.”

St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith has cleared a fire chief in his wife’s death. Smith says Steven Krentel did not murder his wife Nanette, who was found in her burned out home in July. The coroner has ruled it a homicide and Smith says he agrees with that conclusion and they are seeking justice for the family….
cut 5 (12) “….our exhausted”

The general election for State Treasurer is a month away. Three Republican candidates are raising money. There’s also a Democrat and Libertarian on the ballot. Publisher of La-politics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says even though it’s a statewide race, the candidates have not raised a lot of money, so they’ll have to be creative…:
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Early Voting begins September 30th.

The president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, Monty Sullivan, would like to see the state establish a TOPS scholarship program for grown ups. Sullivan says it would be a wise investment, if the state provided financial assistance for a working mother of two who is only making eight bucks an hour, but with education and training can make 18-dollars an hour…
cut 11 (09) “….their family”
The state currently spends around 300-million dollars on TOPS.

Neville High School in Monroe has been named the most beautiful public high school in Louisiana by Architercutral Digest. Dana Jefferson, executive director of the school’s alumni association, says there is a lot of charm attached to the 86-year-old building…
cut 13 (10) “….convenient places”
Neville is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Higher Education Commissioner Joe Rallo says the first LaSTEM Advisory Council meeting was successful in discussing how to increase the amount of students who will succeed in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Rallo says if we don’t engage, Louisiana will not catch up with neighboring states when it comes to STEM jobs…:
Cut 10 (10) “meet that”

For the second straight year, Area Development Magazine has ranked Louisiana fifth in their annual Top States for Doing Business Survey. State economic development secretary Don Pierson says one reason for the high ranking is the state’s new economic development fund, which was created thanks to a large donation from Cleco….
cut 9 (09) “…looking for”

One month from today is the general election for the State Treasurer’s Race. Jeff Palermo reports the candidates are becoming more active..
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Governor John Bel Edwards is in Shreveport today for meetings with local elected officials and business leaders. The governor has held similar meetings around the state lately to discuss the state’s challenging budget situation, as Louisiana is facing a one-billion dollar deficit, because temporary taxes are set to expire in July.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy is a co-author of the last ditch effort by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Cassidy says the legislation repeals individual and employer mandates, and it gets rid of the medical device tax. The Republican says their proposal also eliminates the inequity in which three states receive 37-percent of Obamacare funds..:
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He says this proposal gives the power back to patients.

Authorities made an arrest in the homicide investigation of Ashely Nicole Meche.  The St. Martin Parish Sheriff department arrested Toni Trimble Thomas of Breaux Bridge.  Trimble Thomas is the sister of the victim’s boyfriend.  The 24 year old Meche was eight months pregnant at the time she was killed so Trimble Thomas is charged with second degree murder and second degree feticide.   It was determined that her boyfriend, Mark Trimble was not present or involved in the homicide.

Louisiana remains one of the most business-friendly states in the nation, ranking No. 5 in Area Development magazine’s annual Top States for Doing Business survey. LED Secretary Don Pierson says this is a great third party endorsement they can reference to show Louisiana is a great place to do business, for many reasons…:

Cut 7 (10) “…in the nation”

This is the second year in a row the publication has ranked Louisiana No. 5.

The St. Tammany Parish Coroner has ruled the death of s fire chief’s wife in July, as a homicide. The body of Nanette Krentel, wife of Fire District 12 Chief Stephen Krentel, was discovered in the rubble of the couple’s home which had burned to the ground on July 7th. Coroner Charles Preston said it was determined from the start Mrs. Krentel died from a gunshot wound…:

CUT 13 (03) “before the fire started”
But the St. Tammany Sheriff doesn’t necessarily agree and will give an update tomorrow.

The St. Tammany Parish Coroner has ruled the death of the fire chief’s wife in July, as a homicide. Michelle Southern reports…:

Voicer 1  “I’m Michelle Southern. ”

Authorities say they arrested the man shown in a video punching out a student on the LSU Parade Grounds before last Saturday’s football game.  He’s been identified as 18 year old Casen Maggio of Prairieville and he been charged with aggravated battery.  The official report says several bones in the student’s face were broken.

A homeowner shot and killed an alleged intruder in LaPlace last night. St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre says the homeowner told detectives he heard voices in his yard and went to investigate. Tregre says when he opened the back door, he was face-to-face with the intruder.
Cut 8 (08) “killing him”
No charges have been filed against the homeowner.

The entire Shreveport City Council voted no to a multi-million dollar project to build a sports complex and downtown arena. Councilman Oliver Jenkins says they would like to present this project to the public in a different light because many people didn’t know the project could bring in a major G-league basketball team…:
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He hopes they can go back to the drawing board because partnering with a Tom Benson company is a great opportunity.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy is a co-author of the latest effort by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.  Senators Lindsey Graham, Dean Heller and Ron Johnson are co-authors of the bill.  Graham says their approach of block grant funding to the states gives the power back to patients.

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Meanwhile, Democrat Bernie Sanders is proposing to expand Medicare to cover all U-S residents.

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office have located a brother and sister wanted in connection with the death of a woman who was 8 months pregnant. Major Ginny Higgins says…:

Cut 6 (06) “the victim”

In custody are 29-year-old Mark Trimble and his 32-year-old sister Toni.

Last night a LaPlace homeowner shot and killed an alleged intruder. St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre says the homeowner told detectives he heard voices in his yard.  Tregre says when the opened the back door, he was face-to-face with the intruder.  No charges have been filed against the homeowner and the whole episode was captured on the home’s video surveillance camera…

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St Tammany parish coroner ruled the death of Fire Chief Stephen Krentel’s wife, Nanette Krental as a homicide from a gunshot wound.  Her body was found in the couple’s home which was burned to the ground.  Coroner Charles Preston says, following an initial autopsy, the remains were sent to the LSU FACES Lab…:

Cut 14 (08) “will happen”

But the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office said in a media advisory that it does not necessarily support the coroner’s conclusion.  The sheriff will provide an update on the investigation during a news conference tomorrow.