The first woman to enlist in the infantry in the U.S. army is a native of Robeline. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

Louisiana is still facing a 750-million budget deficit after the special session, and Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to call another session to close the budget shortfall. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

______________________________________

Lawmakers have been scrambling to resolve a historic budget shortfall for months, and now State Treasurer John Kennedy says we may end this fiscal year with a surplus. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________________

A Natchitoches Parish woman is the first female to enlist in an infantry combat position in the U.S. Army. 25-year-old Grace Barnett of Robeline was in law enforcement for three years and has been working to go into the infantry since the department of defense allowed women in this role. She says it’s a great honor to serve her country on the front lines.

cut 4  (10)  “larger scale”

Barnett says patriotism runs in her blood. She says it took her as a surprise that she was actually the first woman to enlist in the infantry.

Cut 5  (10)  “at me”

Barnett says she’ll spend the next 14 months training and building up her endurance before she ships out. She says she hopes to be an example for other women.

Cut 6 (10)  “about doing” 

___________________________________________________

Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to call another special session to address the state’s 750-million shortfall for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Edwards says they have not set a date for the session, but it will likely come before the fall to stave off more cuts to state services.

CUT 7 (05)  “for success”

So far two credit rating agencies have downgraded Louisiana’s credit rating. Edwards says that’s hardly an endorsement for how the state handled its business during the previous special session. He says lawmakers need to stabilize the budget, and they need to do it sooner rather than later.

Cut 8  (05)  “Louisiana is”

Edwards says legislators simply have to do better, as not enough revenue was raised during the last special session to close the budget gap. He says they must find a way to keep critical programs open.

Cut 9 (06)  “to begin with”

___________________________________________________

The investigation continues today into the fatal shooting of former Saints defensive end Will Smith. Smith was gunned down after he was involved in a minor car wreck with 28-year-old Cardell Hayes. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison says Hayes shot Smith in the city’s Lower Garden District…

Cut 10 (12) “the law”

Court records show Hayes won a settlement with the city of the New Orleans over the fatal shooting of his mentally ill father. Smith reportedly just finished eating with a former New Orleans police officer who was named as a defendant in that suit. Harrison says it’s too early to tell in the investigation if Hayes and Smith knew each other.

cut 11 (08) “right now”

Harrison says Hayes has been charged with second-degree murder..

cut 12 (10) “as such”

___________________________________________________________

After all the concerns about the budget crisis, State Treasurer John Kennedy says Louisiana may actually end this fiscal year with a surplus. In December, the state revenues were down 15-percent, but now revenues are only down 6-percent. Kennedy says he can’t make any predictions but…

Cut 13 (10)  “this year”

Kennedy says a few months ago, he would thought a surplus was impossible. He attributes an increase in tax collections to the rise in state revenue.

Cut 14 (06)  “personal income” 

Kennedy says a surplus is possible, if revenue figures continue to rise and tax increases that came out of the special session generate more than what the legislative fiscal analysts predicted….

Cut 15 (09) “as well”

__________________________________________________________

The Saints and their fans are mourning the death of former defensive end Will Smith, who was killed during what police are calling a road rage incident. Smith and another man exchanged words after a fender bender involving their vehicles in New Orleans on Saturday night. Police say the other man pulled out a gun and fatally shot Smith. Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief played with Smith and says he’s been dealing with a lot of different emotions…

Cut 16  (14)  “how could this happen”

Strief made his comments on WWL radio in New Orleans. Smith played nine seasons for the Saints. The 34-year-old retired after the 2012 season and remained a resident of New Orleans. Strief hopes Smith’s tragic killing will lead to change…

Cut 17 (09) “is it take”

Twenty-eight-year-old Cardell Hayes was arrested for the fatal shooting of Smith. He’s been charged with second-degree murder. Strief says an argument should never turn into a gun fight and the shooting gives New Orleans a black eye….

Cut 18 (16) “it really does”

Believe it or not, there is an election tomorrow. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

================

The Louisiana Tech women’s basketball program lost its head coach Tyler Sumitt who admitted he had an affair, and reports say it was with a player. Jeff Palermo has more on the reaction in north Louisiana.

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

===================

It may come as a surprise to many Louisianans, but there is an election tomorrow in 41 parishes. Polls open at 7 AM and close at 8 PM. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says this election typically has a low voter turnout because so many people aren’t aware there’s an election.

CUT 3 (08)  “in March”

Schedler says in addition to local runoff elections, there are also tax renewals up for vote in several parishes. He says you can check the GeauxVote app to see exactly what’s on the ballot in your precinct.

CUT 4 (08)  “G-E-A-U-X”

Schedler says the early voting turnout was very low, as only about 34-tousand people casted ballots. He expects the turnout for this election to be around 11-percent and encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote.

CUT 5 (09)  “the other”

============================

The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival begins today and there are lots of activities for festival goers. Festival Spokesperson Shelley Matherne says there will be tons of organizations selling delicious food, as well as, games, carnival rides, and a parade. She says this is the state’s biggest free festival.

CUT 6 (09) “Mardi Gras”

This year hasn’t been a good one for the strawberry industry given the recent flooding but Matherne says that won’t stop anyone from having a great time at the festival.

CUT 7 (10) “local farmers”

Festival Queen Danielle Rodriguez says the festival is near and dear to her heart because her family has a history of strawberry farming. She says this is a great event for the entire family.

CUT 8 (10) “second home”

=========================================================

The now former head coach of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters, Tyler Summitt, suddenly resigned Thursday after admitting to having an inappropriate relationship. The 25-year-old is the son of legendary head coach, Pat Summitt, and he’s married. Gene Ponti is the Sports Director at KTVE in Monroe. He says everyone is totally shocked at this news…:

CUT 9 (09) “and for the program”

In a statement, Summitt said he negatively affected the people he loved and hopes to repair those relationships. Ponti says a scandal like this is a black eye on any sports program, and on women’s basketball as a whole…:

cut 10 (10)  “are in a hole”

SB Nation is reporting the woman Summitt had an affair with is a player and she’s pregnant. Summitt was the youngest head coach in women’s basketball. Ponti says even though his age was criticized by some, a popular public sentiment was that he was wise beyond his years…:

Cut 11 (09) “some people thought”

===================================================

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’ll spend the weekend putting the finishing touches on the proposed budget for next year, which will contain a 750-million cut in state spending. Edwards says the spending plan for next fiscal year he’ll present to lawmakers on Tuesday will be very sobering.

cut 12 (08) “of Louisiana”

Healthcare, higher ed, TOPS, social services, and other vital programs are expected to receive cuts. Edwards says many state services will receive much less funding this year because of the massive budget deficit.

Cut 13 (08)  “priorities”

Lawmakers were able to raise over a billion dollars in the special session, but it wasn’t enough to close the budget gap. Because taxes cannot be raised during this regular session, another special session may be necessary. Edwards says his administration will release more details on Tuesday.

cut 14 (11)  “balanced budget”

===================================================

State Police have been called in to investigate after a woman was run over by a police vehicle while sunbathing on the beach in Grand Isle. Sgt. Nick Manale says two women were tanning near the dunes area when the truck drove near them and one was able to get out of the way in the nick of time. He says the woman struck by the vehicle received moderate injuries.

cut 15 (06) “several surgeries” 

Manale says the victim’s injuries are not life threatening. He says the name of the police officer driving the vehicle has not been released.

cut 16 (08) “the department”