he longest serving District Attorney in the Fourth Judicial District, Jerry Jones, is retiring after 26 years, because of health reasons. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Congressman Charles Boustany is suing author Ethan Brown and publisher Simon and Schuster for making prostitution allegations. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (27)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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An anonymous clown threat in Bossier parish led to the arrest of a 14-year-old girl. Lt. Bill Davis with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office says the teenager made an online threat against her school.

CUT 3 (09)  “very seriously”

Davis says they identified the juvenile as being behind the fake Instagram account, and she was subsequently arrested for terrorizing. He reminds the public that these clown threats are no laughing matter.

CUT 4 (10)  “a threat”

Davis says the juvenile’s Instagram threat from a fake account with the word “clown” in it was enough to raise authorities’ concern. He encourages parents to talk to their kids about being responsible online.

CUT 5 (09)  “cross the line” 2x

Davis says today they are speaking to students at all of the high schools in Bossier Parish. 

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Congressman Charles Boustany has filed a lawsuit against author Ethan Brown and publisher Simon and Schuster after a recently released book claims Boustany had relationships with prostitutes in Jefferson Davis Parish.  Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says this will be an uphill battle, because it’s hard to prove Brown wrote these allegations with actual malice.

CUT 6 (11) “or defamation”

The book, “Murder in the Bayou” claims Boustany frequented a Jennings motel, the Boudreaux Inn, looking for prostitutes. Ciolino says it’s very difficult to prove an author intentionally lied. He says very few public officials succeed in libel or defamation lawsuits.

CUT 7 (10) “or falsity”

Brown stands by what he wrote in his book. Boustany is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by David Vitter. Ciolino says by filing this lawsuit, it shows Boustany is serious about putting these allegations to bed. He says there is no way this will be resolved before the November 8^th election, but it makes a statement.

CUT 8 (09) “publisher”

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Congressman Garret Graves is holding a town hall meeting in Baker tonight to chat with homeowners recovering from the historic flooding. Graves anticipates he’ll hear from families showing a desire to recover but the inability to do so because of government obstacles. He says there are many things getting in the way of victims getting back to a normal life.

CUT 9 (09) “assistance”

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Redemption Life Fellowship Center. Graves says he’ll be headed back to Washington D.C. in a few weeks to create legislation for more federal aid. He expects there will also be a lot of discussion in the meeting about the FEMA requirement to elevate homes and what additional measures the federal government should take to protect residents in the future.

cut 10 (07)  “other projects”

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One of north Louisiana’s strongest advocates for women and young people, District Attorney Jerry Jones, is retiring after 26 years as DA of the Fourth Judicial District. Jones says his health does not allow him to continue in his position, as he was recently injured in a car accident. He says he hopes to find a way to stay in the practice by helping his son, who is also an attorney.

Cut 11 (12) “lot of em”

During his five terms as DA, Jones helped pass numerous laws that aim to help women, including the Domestic Abuse Battery Law that provides stiffer penalties for domestic abusers and the Domestic Abuse Aggravated Assault law that made it a crime to threaten a spouse with a dangerous weapon. He says these pieces of legislation helped reduce domestic violence in Ouachita and Morehouse parishes.

cut 12 (10) “70 percent”

Jones also helped write several bills that were passed to support children, like Caylee’s Law, which increased penalties for sex crimes against children under 13. He also established programs such as Teen Court, Adolescents at Risk, and Juvenile Drug Court to help give young offenders a second chance.

Cut 13 (09)  “normal life”

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The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office announces two high school students have been charged for wearing a clown mask while riding around school. Spokesman Brennan Matherne says the suspects are both 17 and from Raceland. They are identified as Jordan Boudreaux and Taylor Defelice of Central Lafourche High School…:

cut 14 (10)  “on campus”

Matherne says they also had evidence that the two were in the mask because one of them posted a picture on SnapChat…:

cut 15 (10) “certain holidays”

If found guilty, the two face a sentence of no less than six months in prison with a maximum of three years. Matherne says they made it very clear last week that the creepy clown activity that’s been going on throughout the US would not be tolerated…:

cut 16 (10) “country”

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Keep Louisiana Beautiful has unveiled a new slogan they hope will reduce littering in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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A link between sugary drinks and some cancers has been discovered by researchers at LSU Health New Orleans. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Louisiana travelers are now able to get federal identification for future domestic air travel, as the state Office of Motor Vehicles began issuing REAL ID licenses today. OMV Commissioner Karen St. Germain says  you’ll need this type of identification in order to fly domestically without a passport beginning in October 2020

CUT 3 (07)  “other identification”

St. Germain says the new REAL ID licenses will cost $13 for a four year duplicate, and $17 for a six year duplicate. She says not only will the ID be required for air travel, it will also be necessary to enter federal buildings beginning in 2020.

CUT 4 (09)  “entire country”

St. Germain says there’s no rush to get the new license if yours doesn’t expire for two or three years. She says your birth certificate, social security card and proof of residency  are needed to get the new REAL IDs and they do not look much different than you current license…

CUT 5 (09)  “compliant”

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A new slogan from Keep Louisiana Beautiful aims to raise awareness about the state’s litter problem. Executive Director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Susan Russell, says they hope “Love the Boot, Don’t Pollute” will provide a consistent message to Louisianans not to trash the state. She believes it’s a fitting slogan for the Bayou State, especially the word love.

CUT 6 (08) “that love”

Rogers says the slogan appears on bumper stickers that will be placed on 12-thousand state vehicles. But she says they aren’t stopping there, because they want to get this message out to as many people as possible.

CUT 7 (08) “print materials”

Rogers says they are seeing a decline in litter around the state, and she believes that’s because of the efforts of their 35-thousand volunteers. She says they hope to see less garbage in years to come, as volunteers still had a lot of trash to pick up last year.

CUT 8 (11) “of items”

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Researchers at LSU Health New Orleans found a link between certain types of cancer and sugary drink consumption. Dr. Melinda Sothern with LSU Health New Orleans says they want to be clear that added sugar was found to be correlated to some cancers, not natural sugars.

CUT 9 (08) “fruit drinks”

Sothern says they recommend that people do not have more than three 12 ounce sugary drinks per week. She says consuming these beverages is also linked to obesity and cardio-metabolic diseases. She says a one group of people is more at risk than others.

cut 10 (09)  “be overweight”

Sothern says these young men are more at risk because obesity is linked to cancer, and sugary drinks tend to be more readily available in low-income areas. She says sugary drink intake is associated with the risk of a few specific kinds of cancer.

Cut 11 (09) “and death”

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Hundreds of Denham Springs residents in Livingston Parish who flooded in August could be forced to elevate their homes. Mayor Gerard Landry says about 1200 residents were informed by mail over the weekend that initial FEMA assessments show the structure was “substantially damaged” by the flood:

cut 12 (07) “your home”

Landry says residents should appeal that ruling through the city, and then their permit staff will need to see a pre-flood market value for the home and also an estimate for the cost of repairs. He says there could be up to 900 homes that are below the “substantially damaged” line…:

Cut 13 (06)  “what we require”

Landry emphasizes that these FEMA assessments are just an initial snapshot of the damage each home likely received. He says the thing that worries him the most and what causes the most grief for citizens is the amount of misinformation that is out there…:

cut 14 (09)  “the rest of your life”

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The YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge says they received a substantial donation from Taylor Swift to support flood relief efforts, as part of the pop star’s $1 million dollar pledge to Louisiana. CEO Dianna Payton says the money will go towards building a new Early Head Start Center, because the one at Glen Oaks High School flooded and had to close…:

cut 15 (08) “and floors”

The Early Head Start program provides comprehensive early childhood and family services for low-income children up to three years of age. She says they are very grateful for the multi-Grammy award winning artist’s gift…:

cut 16 (06) “Glen Oaks community”

It was a successful debut for Ed Orgeron as interim coach of the LSU Tigers. Jeff Palermo has a recap of Saturday’s 42-7 win over Missouri…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The LSU AgCenter is making progress with plans to grow and produce medical marijuana. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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State officials will be in Cuba today to discuss trade options between island nation and Louisiana. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Deepwater Horizon was a success at the box office this weekend and just in time for the release of the movie is a new study looking at how coastal marshland recovered from the 2010 environmental disaster. Marine conservation biology professor at Duke University, Brian Silliman, says patches of marsh grass nearly covered by oil never recovered.

cut 4  (09)  “erosion occurring”

Silliman says marshes will less than 90-percent oil coating did not erode as quickly as they expected, but 40 to 50 acres of marsh is permanently lost and can’t be brought back without active restoration. He says the study took a while to complete, because their methods are not high end.

Cut 5  (12)  “at that site”

Silliman says environmentalists are interested in understanding thresholds because it helps them determine how to restore these ecosystems. He says they now know that there is high resistance in these areas, meaning it takes a lot of oiling to destroy the system.

Cut 6 (09) “in those areas”

Silliman says it’s important to restore these marshes because they protect the coastline from wave impact, soak up carbon from the atmosphere and pollution, and generate shrimp production.

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The LSU AgCenter is continuing with plans to grow medical marijuana and hope to have seeds in the ground early next year.  AgCenter President Dr. Bill Richardson says they should have a business plan in place this month and they are working closely with law enforcement to ensure they are comfortable with every aspect.

CUT 7 (10)  “exactly right”

Richardson says they hope to get started in 2017 at an off campus location in East Baton Rouge Parish. He says legislation passed this year helped them move forward with the process and gave them exclusive rights to produce the drug.

Cut 8 (08) “those things”

Richardson says no students and no one under 21 will be able to work in the growing facility and security is their number one priority. He says the AgCenter needs third party financing due to the budget situation the state faces and hopes to get rid of the angst associated with a project like this.

Cut 9 (10)  “medical marijuana”

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Governor John Bel Edwards, Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain, and other state officials will be in Cuba today on a trade mission. Strain says representatives from LSU will also join them, because they want to trade more than just commodities.

Cut 10 (10) “work on”

Strain says Cuba will import up to $2 billion worth of food next year, and as much as $1 billion of that could be from the US. He says they believe Louisiana is in a prime position to capture a lion’s share of that trade.

cut 11 (10) “part of it”

Governor Edwards says before the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Louisiana had a long standing relationship with Cuba and was a trade partner. He says they are trying to lean forward anticipating the day that the Bayou State can resume that historical relationship. But he says this is not unique to Louisiana.

cut 12 (09) “bit behind”

The officials plan to meet with the Cuban ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Foreign Investment, as well as the National Port Administration of Cuba.

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A ULM professor receives a 5 year, 1.7 million dollar grant that could possibly lead to a new treatment of Type-1 diabetes. Dr. Karen Briski is working to improve the quality of life of diabetics, by reducing harmful effects of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can cause nerve cell damage and neurological dysfunction, so she wants to see if increasing the amount of glycogen in the brain can help…

Cut 13 (05) “gluclose levels”

Hypoglycemia is an unavoidable aspect of a diabetic’s daily life, but Briski hopes her research can protect the brain during strict insulin therapy….

cut 14 (06)  “hypoglycemia” 

This grant is the biggest single grant awarded to a faculty member in ULM’s history. Briski says she is humbled by this honor and happy to have a chance to improve a diabetic’s quality of life.

Cut 15 (10) “this award”

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It wasn’t flashy, but Louisiana Tech picked up a much needed victory on Saturday with a 28-7 win over UTEP. Ryan Higgins threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns and Coach Skip Holtz says it was nice to get a win after losing two straight on the road…

Cut 16  (12)  “our tackling”

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For the second straight week, UL Lafayette lost in overtime on the road. New Mexico State beat the Cajuns 37-31 in double overtime on Saturday night to drop U-L-L’s record to 2-3, 1-and-1 in the Sun Belt. Cajuns Coach Mark Hudspeth says the two interceptions thrown by quarterback Anthony Jennings were costly…

Cut 17 (11)  “right now”

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What a debut by Interim Head Coach Ed Orgeron as he guided the Tigers to a 42-7 thrashing of the Missouri Tigers on Saturday night. LSU’s offense, which was stagnant through the first four games of the season, rolled up 634 yards of total offense, which is a school school record for total offense in SEC games. Orgeron on what changed with him at the helm…

Cut 18 (20) “run the ball”

LSU rushed for 418 yards, Derrius Guice had 163 yards on the ground and Darrel Williams had 130, as each running back had three touchdowns. Orgeron says a dominating win like that is huge for this program…

Cut 19 (15) “little deeper”

LSU is at Florida for an 11 AM kickoff this Saturday. Wide receiver Malachi Dupre is anxious to see how the rest of the season plays out…

Cut 20 (12) “deserve respect”