The “Blue Lives Matter” law goes into effect today. Jeff Palermo reports attacks on law enforcement can now be considered a hate crime…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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UL-Lafayette professor Dr. Heather Stone is working to archive the history of a disappearing Terrebonne Parish island before it’s gone. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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LaFourche Parish Sheriff deputies believe a mother fatally shot her young daughter and then turned the gun on herself. Jeff Palermo has more…

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The “Blue Lives Matter” law goes into effect today in Louisiana, and Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says his bill is now more important than ever after the attacks on police officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas. Harris says crimes committed against first responders, because of the uniforms they wear are now classified as hate crimes, as a result of this new law.

cut 4  (09)  “100 percent”

After the fatal shooting of two police officers and one sheriff’s deputy in Baton Rouge, there were social media threats made against law enforcement in Caddo and St. Charles parishes. Harris says this law applies to those criminal acts as well.

Cut 5  (10)  “their family”

Harris says because of this new law, people who target police officers and first responders will spend more time behind bars.

Cut 6 (07) “in Louisiana”

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A Terrebonne Parish island is disappearing, and one UL-Lafayette professor is working to preserve its history before it’s gone. Dr. Heather Stone says Isle de Jean Charles is home to the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe of Native Americans. She says many tribe members have had to leave the island because the road that connects it to the coast floods often, making it impossible to get to the mainland.

CUT 7 (08)  “a choice”

In 1955, Isle de Jean Charles was about 22,000 acres and home to hundreds of people, but today it has shrunk to about 320 acres because of coastal erosion. The roughly 70 people who still live on the island will eventually relocate, thanks to a $48 million federal grant. Stone says she is passionate about preserving the tribe’s heritage because she understands having a connection to a place.

Cut 8  (07)  “personal experience”

Stone says the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe came to the island when they fled the Trail of Tears. She says the people have been so helpful she doesn’t feel like she is writing their story, but more that they are writing it together.

Cut 9 (12)  “their history”

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Louisiana is ready for the possibility of local transmission of the Zika Virus. There are four confirmed cases of Zika in Florida in people who did not travel out of the country or have contact with someone who did. State Health Officer Dr. Frank Welch says Louisiana has been preparing since January…

Cut 10 (11) “local transmission”

Welch says Zika is such a mild illness in the vast majority of people that four out of five people who get the virus don’t even know they have it. He says those who do notice may confuse the illness with hay fever.

cut 11 (07) “goes away”

Welch says the biggest risk is when a pregnant woman contracts Zika because while the mother could experience no symptoms, the fetus is developing severe birth defects. He says there are ways for the public to help reduce local transmission by keeping the mosquito population down.

cut 12 (11) “in Louisiana”

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A 26-year-old mother and her five-year-old daughter were found shot to death in a residence in Thibodaux. LaFourche Parish Sheriff’s office spokesperson Brennan Matherne says investigators believe the mother, Nakesha Carrere shot Abigail Creamer and then turned the gun on herself…

Cut 13 (07) “enter the residence”

Matherne says investigators are still processing the evidence, but they are confident this was a murder-suicide…

cut 14 (08)  “the scene”

Matherne says Creamer’s father discovered the horiffic scene and called 9-1-1 just before noon on Sunday….

Cut 15 (07) “to the head”

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Through the first few days of training camp, Saints rookie wide receiver Mike Thomas has made several impressive catches. Coach Sean Payton likes Thomas’ passion and that he continues to make a play or two every day. Thomas says he wants to gain his teammates’ confidence that he can make the difficult catch..

Cut 16  (17)  “be that person”

Thomas is a six-foot-three, 212 pounds and the Saints selected him with the 47th overall pick. Payton says they don’t want the former Ohio State star to just be a pass catcher, they also hope he can develop into an outstanding blocker…

Cut 17 (17)  “good in that area”

Payton is also pleased with what he’s seen from last year’s third round pick, cornerback PJ Williams. The former Florida State star missed all of last season with a hamstring injury, but Payton says he’s looked good this year in training camp…

Cut 18 (19) “little faster”

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Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton will accept the democratic nomination tonight. Emelie Gunn has more on what to expect from the former First Lady….

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Bossier City Representatives Mike Johnson is urging voters to say yes to a constitutional amendment in the fall that would benefit families of fallen first responders. Michelle Southern reports..:

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A Baton Rouge man is facing felony charges after threatening to harm US Senate candidate David Duke and claiming he would kill people for the death of Alton Sterling. State Police Sgt. Jared Sandifer says 22-year-old Anthony Moore made the threats in two separate YouTube videos posted earlier this month.

CUT 3 (08)  “for senator”

Moore said in one video, “If David Duke comes senator for Louisiana, bro, I am killing this man.” Sandifer says when detectives brought Moore in for an interview, he admitted to posting the videos.

CUT 4 (07)  “and terrorizing”

In the videos, Moore also makes threats like “I don’t know you, dude, but I’m stepping for you…cause y’all wrong for that.” Sandifer says this was in reference to the Alton Sterling shooting.

CUT 5 (09)  “police shooting”

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Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton will accept her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention tonight in Philadelphia. LSU Political Science Professor Bob Mann says the tone Clinton sets in her speech will be important, because not many people trust her.

CUT 6 (09) “little bit”

Mann says to the public, Clinton is often seen as emotionally closed down. But he says there is another personal, caring side to her that people usually don’t see.

CUT 7 (08) “from her”

Mann says it would be wise for Clinton to own up to her mistakes during her speech. He says the former First Lady needs to reiterate that America is a great country already, unlike Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.

CUT 8 (10) “United States”

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Heavy rainfall in parts of north Louisiana, especially the Monroe area, has led to road closures and flash flood warnings throughout the day. Mark Murphy with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says a slow moving storm system is dropping buckets of rain on some areas…

CUT 9 (06) “the region”

Flash flooding has resulted in temporary road closures in Monroe. Murphy says northeast Louisiana has been the hardest hit from the downpours…

cut 10 (08)  “Caldwell”

Murphy says the rain is providing a break from the heat. He says periods of thunderstorms and showers will continue throughout the afternoon…

Cut 11 (10) “little bit”

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Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson is asking voters to support a proposed constitutional amendment this fall that establishes a property tax exemption for surviving members of a fallen first responder. He says a vote in favor of proposed amendment number 4 would be something that Louisianians can do to help these families in their time of great need…:

cut 12 (05) “our law enforcement”

Johnson says it would apply to the family home of the spouses of any member of the armed forces, National Guard or a law enforcement or fire protection officer killed in the line of duty. He says with so many tragedies occurring in recent months, passing an amendment like this would be the least we could do for those families of those who protect and service…:

Cut 13 (10)  “of that”

Johnson noted that tragedies like this really hit home for Louisiana as the state has the second highest number of officer deaths this year over last. He says the amendment on the ballot November 8th would provide some tax relief for those families and be a small, but important gesture…:

cut 14 (06)  “stand for all of us”

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The Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen’s Survivors Fund will give $250-thousand to each of the families of the slain Baton Rouge police officers. Emelie Gunn has more…

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A memorial is scheduled to take place today in Baton Rouge to honor the three officers who were killed last Sunday. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand says one of his deputies is lucky to be alive after fatally shooting a burglary suspect. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (28) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Each of the families of the three fallen Baton Rouge police officers will receive $250-thousand from the Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen’s Survivors Fund. Attorney General Jeff Landry is the chairman of the fund’s review board. He says each child of the officers will receive $25-thousand and the chance to attend college.

cut 4  (10)  “tuition free”

Landry says nothing can replace their lost loved ones, but this will hopefully help to bring them some financial relief. He says they should receive lump sum checks in just a few weeks, once they get all the documents from the courts and police.

Cut 5  (07)  “thereafter”

Landry says he called a special meeting of the board to get these benefits to the families as soon as possible.

Cut 6 (08) “forward”

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A memorial service honoring the three fallen Baton Rouge police officers will be held at 2pm today at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. Casey Rayborn Hicks with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office says she knows there are people who want to show support that maybe didn’t feel comfortable attending the services, and this is a way for them to do that.

CUT 7 (08)  “a community”

Vice President Joe Biden, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Governor John Bel Edwards will speak at the memorial. Hicks says this shows that their local, state, and federal counterparts are coming together in this community’s time of need.

Cut 8  (10)  “their sacrifice”

Hicks says the funerals for the three fallen officers were well attended and they anticipate a similar response for today’s memorial.

Cut 9 (10)  “of that”

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Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said the dialogue has to change about shootings involving police. Normand made the statement, after one of his deputies shot 17-year-old Devon Martes on Tuesday night where Martes’s gun misfired when he tried to shoot the deputy after a brief chase. Normand says his deputy, David Dalton, is lucky to be alive.

Cut 10 (09) “dead officer”

Normand says the deputy faced off with Martes after the suspect was caught stealing tire rims. He showed pictures from Martes’ Facebook of him holding a gun and drugs and listed off highlights from the suspect’s rap sheet.

cut 11 (12) “trespass plead guilty”

Normand says that he keeps hearing that we need to develop trust between police and the public, but he says trust is a two way street. He says it’s bilateral, not unilateral.

cut 12 (11) “abandoned it”

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Many Saints fans are expected to make their way to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, where the Black and Gold are holding training camp.  The region was hit with devastating flooding about a month ago, but Kristy Godby with the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the area has recovered.

Cut 13 (09) “the floods”

Godby says the Greenbrier Hotel and all the hotels in nearby Lewisburg are open and ready to welcome fans. She says there’s lots of good food in the area and plenty to do after the practices.

cut 14 (11)  “state forest”

This is the third year the Saints have held their camp at the Greenbrier, and Godby says they expect this year to be bigger and better than the previous years. She says attendees should prepare to have a lot of fun.

Cut 15 (08) “you are”

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LSU Football Coach Les Miles hits on a variety of topics during his annual speech before the Baton Rouge Rotary Club. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, and Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie were in attendance and Coach Les Miles talked openly about the tragic shooting of three law enforcement officers and had this to say about the shooter.

Cut 16  (21)  “to me”

Miles also hit on some light hearted topics, including reliving some of his childhood memories. The Mad Hatter talked about the day he was beat up by his elementary school bully, Bobby Piper, who kept stealing his lunch money.

Cut 17 (21)  “the ditch”

Miles commented on the status of kicker Colby Delahoussaye, who was in a tragic car accident in Wisconsin where two people died. He says the senior from New Iberia will have to go through rehabilitation, but his injuries won’t threaten his football career.

Cut 18 (16) “real trauma”

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