Doctors at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston gave an update today on wounded East Baton Rouge Deputy Nick Tullier’s condition. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Louisiana has one of the biggest wage gaps between its richest and poorest residents, according to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Alexandria Police announce the arrest of two people in connection with a stabbing death. Cpl. Wade Bourgeois says the victim was discovered when police received a call Tuesday night.

Cut 3 (10) “multiple times”

Authorities have yet to release the identity of the stabbing victim. Bourgeois says their investigation led them to 54-year-old Daniel Mikkelson and 35-year-old Natarsha Meredith, who were brought in for questioning.

cut 4  (08) “murder”

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State Police say a West Carroll Parish woman has been arrested in the shooting death of her husband. A television report says the victim was killed a day after his birthday. Senior Trooper Michael Reichardt says they responded to a call of a shooting in Epps shortly after midnight Tuesday.

Cut 5  (08)  “Larry Carroll”

Reichardt says 44-year-old April Sollars has been charged with second degree murder. He says she was booked into the West Carroll Parish Jail without incident, and the investigation is ongoing.

Cut 6 (08) “early stages”
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A report by Bankrate.com finds Louisiana is the fourth worst state for drivers. Data Analyst with the company Claes Bell says the survey looked at a broad range of data to determine the ranking. He says Louisiana was ranked 49^th for insurance cost, which helped to secure the low ranking.

CUT 7 (11)  “of accidents”

Bell says the high number of auto fatalities contributed to Louisiana’s high ranking. He says another negative factor was a motorist’s average commute time.

Cut 8 (10) “public transit”

The report found New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, and California round out the bottom five states. But Bell says Louisiana did well in terms of low repair costs and the Bayou State ranked positively in one other category.

Cut 9 (07)  “in general”

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Doctors at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston announced today that wounded East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Tullier is fully conscious and making strides in his recovery. Dr. Sunil Kothari, says they believed Tullier would be in a vegetative state when he arrived, but they quickly learned that he was minimally conscious.

Cut 10 (11) “fully conscious”

Tullier was one of six officers who were shot in an ambush in Baton Rouge last July. Kothari says no one ever recovers completely from this kind of brain injury, and at this point Tullier’s mind and body are out of sync. Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Katherine O’Brien says they identified several cognitive capacities Tullier can demonstrate.

cut 11 (09) “where he is”

O’Brien says he can also communicate with nonverbal signals and respond to commands. Physical therapist Julie Welch says Tullier has severe weakness throughout his body. But she says he spends three to four hours a day doing physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

cut 12 (08) “as well”

Tullier’s father, James, celebrated the announcement with the doctors, saying Christmas has come early.

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A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds Louisiana has one of the biggest wage gaps between its richest and poorest residents. Director of the Louisiana Budget Project Jan Moeller says the Bayou State has the fourth highest rate of income inequality in the country. Moeller is not surprised by the finding.

Cut 13 (09) “very richest”

Moeller says this large wage gap is a reason why Louisiana’s economy has trouble growing.

cut 14 (11) “for everybody”

Moeller hopes the state legislature will look to address the large gap in wage earners. He says it will take higher income individuals paying more taxes and a higher minimum wage to help make a difference.

Cut 15 (11) “for everybody”

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser wants to boost international travel throughout Louisiana. Don Molino has more…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Don Molino”

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LSU President F. King Alexander expresses his concerns to legislators about future budget cuts to higher ed. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The number of international visitors has grown in Louisiana, but Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, who oversees tourism in the state, doesn’t just want these travelers to visit New Orleans. Nungesser says there are direct flights into New Orleans from London, Germany, and Honduras, but he wants to see these tourists get out to the rest of the state.

Cut 3 (12) “of Louisiana”

Nungesser says there are 17 scenic byways across Louisiana through 53 parishes covering 2,400 miles. He hopes these highways encourage international travelers to get off the interstates and see more of the Bayou State. He says this would not only benefit the small towns in Louisiana, but the state as a whole.

cut 4  (09) “by tourists”

Louisiana saw a 36-percent increase in international tourism from 2014 to 2015, ranking second in the nation for overall growth. Nungesser says Louisiana could see one million more international visitors by 2018, representing an economic impact of $1.7 billion.

Cut 5  (09)  “more money”

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Governor John Bel Edwards’ executive order preventing LGBT discrimination in state government and businesses who have contracts with the state has been overturned. Attorney General Jeff Landry says he applauds Judge Todd Hernandez’ ruling. He says at the end of the day, this case was about the governor trying to create his own law.

Cut 6 (11) “the process”

The governor had filed a lawsuit against the AG for blocking state contracts that contained anti-discrimination language. Landry says it wasn’t the anti-discrimination aspect of the order that was the problem, it was the legality. He says if a bill passed that established the LGBT community as a protected class, then that would be different.

CUT 7 (07)  “create it”

Sean Sullivan with Forum for Equality Foundation says this ruling is another setback for the LGBT community in Louisiana. But he says they are confident the Governor’s Office will continue to fight to move these protections forward.

Cut 8 (09) “the state”

Sullivan says these are not new protections, as they have been in place under two previous Louisiana governors, Edwin Edwards and Kathleen Blanco. He says unfortunately, at this point in time these kinds of protections are necessary.

Cut 9 (08)  “and socially”

Governor Edwards released a statement saying he plans to appeal the ruling.

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LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron has hired former Pittsburgh Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada to be the Tigers new O.C. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says once it was obvious Alabama’s Lane Kiffin was seeking a head coaching job, Canada was the best choice.

Cut 10 (10) “he’s been”

Moran says Matt Canada will fit well in the mix with defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. He says both started their coaching careers young and worked their way up quickly…

cut 11 (09) “and versatility”

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LSU President F. King Alexander went before the House Appropriations Committee and expressed his concerns over the 16^th budget cut in nine years that the school is facing. Alexander says they can’t be much more efficient when LSU is already 46 out of 50 flagship universities in per student spending. He says at some point the state needs to invest in the next generation of students.

cut 12 (11) “they have”

Higher Education Commissioner Joseph Rallo is asking the legislature to increase funding by 189-million dollars in next year’s budget. But the state has as an estimated 600-million dollar budget deficit for this year. Alexander says the University of Alabama is in the process of hiring 300 new teachers, while LSU has lost over 500 in the past nine years.

Cut 13 (07) “this weekend”

The state’s budget problems have forced TOPS students in the upcoming semester to pay over 50-percent of their tuition. Alexander says enrollment is down 3.5 percent for the next semester compared to the previous spring…

cut 14 (11) “our institution”

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The tables turned on a robbery suspect in Shreveport when a 71-year-old shop owner took action into his own hands. Cpl. Marcus Hines with Shreveport Police says the owner let 36-year-old Michael Kelly into his business to use the bathroom. He says that’s when Kelly stole the man’s wallet and things turned violent.

Cut 15 (07) “multiple times”

Hines says Kelly was struck three times and tried to flee on foot, but collapsed in front of the business. He says when police arrived, the owner was visibly shaken.

Cut 16  (10)  “minor injuries”

Hines says Kelly faces a laundry list of charges, including armed robbery, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, resisting an officer, and an outstanding warrant.

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