60% of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, according to a new Gallup poll. Jeff Palermo reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Attorney General Jeff Landry is asking a state judge to determine if Governor Edwards executive order that seeks to protect LGBT workers from discrimination in the workplace is constitutional. Don Molino has more…

Cut 2 (25) “I’m Don Molino”

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According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend a record-high 8.4 billion dollars on Halloween candy and costumes this year. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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A new Gallup poll shows 60% of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, almost double the amount of people who thought pot should be legal in 2000. David Brown is the director of a group called Sensible Marijuana Policy for Louisiana, or SMPL. He believes this signifies that a lot of changes are taking place within the US electorate…:

cut 4  (08) “many other drugs”

Nine states are slated to decide whether to expand legal access to pot in the November election. State officials are currently hammering out a plan to get medical marijuana into the hands of patients who suffer certain specific ailments. But Brown feels that Louisiana will be one of the very last states to get on board with recreational legalization…:

Cut 5  (10)  “at the very end”

Brown says the fact that the Legislature passed a bill that would put a mechanism in place to get patients in need medical marijuana indicates many Louisiana lawmakers are approaching the matter with more of an open mind. He said that’s not happened on accident…:

Cut 6 (10) “patients themselves”

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Attorney General Jeff Landry has filed a lawsuit that seeks to have a state judge declare Governor John Bel Edwards’ executive order that protects L-G-B-T individuals from discrimination in the workplace as unconstitutional. Landry believes the governor is circumventing the Legislature to create his own law…

CUT 7 (07)  “of language”

Landry argues the state legislature has rejected several proposed laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Republican A-G says he’s protecting the will of the legislature…

Cut 8 (07) “objecting to”

The executive order says state employees can not be fired or harassed at work if they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The order extends to businesses that have state contracts and Landry has already refused to sign legal contracts with the anti-discrimination clause. Edwards believes he has the authority to issue such an order…

Cut 9 (08)  “executive order”

Edwards says the attorney general is putting his own political interests ahead of Louisiana’s needs. He disagrees with Landry’s stance that’s it okay for businesses to discriminate…

Cut 10 (03) “Louisiana values”

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Spending on Halloween costumes, decorations and candy will reach a record high 8.4 billion dollars this year. That’s according to the National Retail Federation. Spokesperson Ana Serafin Smith says more than 171 million Americans are planning to partake in Halloween festivities this year…

cut 11 (10) “greeting cards”

Smith says millennials and their use of social media are the reason why the popularity Halloween is growing…

cut 12 (12) “on twitter”

Smith says the Presidential election is also driving up costume sales as many people are dressing up as either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

Cut 13 (09) “political characters”

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A much anticipated cool front has made its way through the state and temperatures are much more fall-like. Freddie Ziegler, with the National Weather Service in Slidell, says the temps are about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than they were the day before…

cut 14 (11) “upper 50s”

Ziegler says the humidity is also much lower. He says we expect high temperatures in the 70s this weekend and we’ll see the lows dip into the 40s for the northern part of the state….

Cut 15 (07) “below normal”

A little bit of rain fell as the cold front moved across the state. Ziegler says rain is out of the forecast this weekend and much of next week…

Cut 16  (07)  “      the state” 

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Ole Miss brings the best pass offense in the SEC to Baton Rouge on Saturday night when they visit the LSU Tigers. The Rebels have five receivers who have caught 15 passes or more, but they had some critical drops in a loss last week to Arkansas. Rebels Coach Huge Freeze expects them to bounce back…

Cut 17 (18)” they know that”

LSU is looking to go 3-0 under interim head coach Ed Orgeron. Freeze says it appears that Coach O has made some changes that have worked…

Cut 18 (20) “the field”

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Louisiana Tech takes its high powered offense to Miami tomorrow where they’ll face the F-I-U Panthers in a Conference USA contest. Both teams have won three in a row, but the Bulldogs have averaged 56 points a game in their last two contests. Tech Quarterback Ryan Higgins says the offense has bought into what the coaches have taught them….

Cut 19 (14)   “want to be”

Higgins ranks second in the country in passing yards per game. Wide receiver Trent Taylor has 75 catches for 987 yards, Carlos Henderson had 326 yards receiving last week. And running back Jarred Craft has rushed for over 700 yards this season. But Higgins says none of the players are competing for the numbers…

cut 20 (20) “about it”

Louisiana travelers will have even more options next year because of an exciting announcement from British Airways. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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LSU’s daily paper, The Reveille, will become a once a week newspaper for the 2017 spring semester. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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It’s an exciting day for Louisiana travelers looking to go overseas, as British Airways announces there will be non-stop flights from New Orleans to London. Senior Vice President Simon Brooks says the flights will leave four times a week beginning March 27, 2017. He says they are delighted to connect these two iconic cities.

Cut 3 (11) “wonderful place”

Brooks says the 8 hour 40 minute flight will include free food and drink, pillows and blankets, as well as free entertainment. He says the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is known for its smooth ride, because it flies at a lower pressurization.

cut 4  (09) “great aircraft”

Brooks says American Airline customers will be able to use their frequent flyer miles on these flights. He adds that although the plane lands in London, passengers will have limitless travel options.

Cut 5  (10)  “and beyond”

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An arrest has been made in the case of an elderly man who was shot to death in his own driveway in Houma. Cody Voisin with the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office says shortly after the death of 87-year-old Anthony Dale Lirette, an arrest warrant was issued for 21-year-old Deandre Pharagood.

Cut 6 (07) “degree murder”

Voisin says there was no relationship between the victim and Pharagood. He says their investigation into the matter is ongoing.

CUT 7 (05)  “investigation”

Pharagood was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail on a $500-thosuand bond.

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The head of the Louisiana NAACP spoke before the House Judiciary Committee to provide ideas on how law enforcement and the public can work better together. Ernest Johnson says there needs to be more interactive relationships between police officers and the community. He suggests officers should be very familiar with everyone in the area they patrol.

Cut 8 (10) “the community”

Johnson also advises elected officials should host more town hall meetings where police officers attend in plain clothes. He says a culture change needs to be made when officers are addressing people in tricky situations with the public.

Cut 9 (10)  “deescalate”

The House Judiciary Committee wrapped up two days of hearings on interaction between law enforcement and citizens. Chairman Katrina Jackson plans to hold more meetings to come up with a universal community policing policy. Johnson says right now there is no policy where officers become involved as part of the community…

Cut 10 (08) “certain communities”

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One of many lesser-known candidates in the US Senate race has dropped out, less than three weeks before the election. Attorney and former-investment banker Abhay Patel is the first candidate to back out of the crowded field. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat isn’t surprised he withdrew, since he polled poorly.

cut 11 (09) “get out”

After dropping out of the race, Patel endorsed Republican Congressman Charles Boustany over the two other major republican candidates, John Kennedy and John Fleming. There are also two major Democrats in the race, Foster Campbell and Caroline Fayard. Pinsonat says he’s not sure how much that endorsement will really help Boustany.

cut 12 (10) “little attention”

Patel’s name will still appear on the ballot along with the 23 other names running for US Senate. Pinsonat says if any other minor candidates drop out, it won’t have a huge impact on who will make the runoff.

Cut 13 (08) “those five”

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LSU’s daily newspaper, The Daily Reveille, will become a weekly 32-page paper come the spring semester of 2017. Reveille editor in chief Quint Forgey says this is a very bitter-sweet moment. He says it’s a sad day, because everyone who works for the newspaper was raised and trained to produce a daily paper.

cut 14 (10) “was best”

The Daily Reveille has been a part of LSU since 1887. But Forgey says the Reveille staff is optimistic, because the new weekly publication will be an excellent read

Cut 15 (08) “be exciting”

Forgey says they’ll have to up to date content on their website, LSUNow.com. He says the decision to end the daily publication was not easy, but they believe the future is still bright for the school newspaper and the students involved.

Cut 16  (11)  “Baton Rouge”

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