President Barack Obama nominated a new Supreme Court justice, Merrick Garland, but not all agree with this decision. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (26)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The Revenue Estimating Conference is out with it’s measure of Louisiana’s budget deficit this fiscal year and next. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

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The National Weather Service is concerned about potential flooding along two major rivers in the northern half of the state. Hydrologist C.S. Ross says all the rain that fell in northwest and northeast Louisiana is making its way down south.

CUT 3 (07)  “Ouachita River”

Ross says last week’s rain event produced almost 27 inches of rain near Monroe. He says the Red River crest is moving through the Coushatta area today. He says the crest will rout toward the Grand Ecore area tomorrow, and into Alexandria later this week and into the weekend.

CUT 4 (05)  “1958”

Ross says a flood wave continues to develop on the Ouachita River, but the levels on the river will not even rank in the top 10 in Monroe. He says it will be the highest water there since November of 2009, and there could be flooding in between the levee systems in Monroe. He says the Red River will also cause flooding.

CUT 5 (04)  “Red River”

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LSU President F. King Alexander tells the House Education Committee budget cuts are impacting enrollment, faculty and research. Alexander says the university has been receiving more money from the federal government than they have from the state. He says research funding originally for LSU is now going to universities in other states because we don’t invest in higher education.

CUT 6 (05) “institutions”

Higher education is facing a 27 million dollar cut in state funding this fiscal year but that number is expected to grow once a new round of cuts are announced.  Alexander says the TOPS program is getting hit the hardest. He says the number of public university visits from TOPS eligible kids is now down about 25 percent.

CUT 7 (09) “28 ACT”

Alexander says LSU’s medical schools are also suffering because they are hit hard by both cuts to higher education, as well as, cuts to heath care. He says with the new medical center opening in New Orleans last year they never had more demand, now people are running away from us.

CUT 8 (08) “medical field”

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Flooding throughout the southeastern part of the state will impact the strawberry crop this year, particularly in Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes. Whitney Wallace, with the LSU Ag Center, says we won’t know how much the crop was damaged until farmers harvest their strawberries.

CUT 9 (05) “production loss”

Wallace says the losses will vary from one field to another, based on the soil, berries, and other factors.

cut 10 (10)  “later on”

Wallace says losing part of a crop is all part of the job, but it shouldn’t be a total loss. She encourages people to buy local berries.

Cut 11 (11) “local farmers”

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The Revenue Estimating Conference met today to get more exact figures on budget deficit numbers for this and next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says for the budget period that ends June 30th, Louisiana is now looking at about a $70 million dollar hole that will have to be filled. He says that’s higher than they first thought so another challenge lies ahead…:

cut 12 (09) “this shortfall”

Dardenne says there was slightly better news for the fiscal year that begins July 1. He says that after the special session ended, they thought lawmakers had gotten the next budget shortfall down to about a billion dollars…:

Cut 13 (10)  “good news”

Dardenne says they are on a time crunch for this fiscal year, but over the next several days they will sit down and decide how to cut colleges and healthcare in the best possible way to minimize the damage…:

cut 14 (06)  “affected”

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Today President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to be a Supreme Court justice after the death of former justice Antonin Scalia. Republican US Senator David Vitter believes with the next president coming into office soon, we should let the voters decide the new justice. Vitter is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and says he will not vote to advance the nomination.

cut 15 (10) “nominee 

Vitter says Supreme Court Justices needed to be decided carefully because they have such a big and lasting impact on our country. He says he hasn’t done much research on President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland.

cut 16 (09)  “a hearing”

The Red Cross is helping thousands of people in Louisiana who have been impacted by the recent flooding. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson wants to follow the lead of other states and decrease the incarceration rate in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (28)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Officials in Livingston Parish have also been working around the clock dealing with flood waters and residents who were displaced from their homes. Sheriff Jason Ard says they saw high levels in the Maurepas area, Springfield, Holden and Denham Springs…:

CUT 3 (10)  “seeing it”

Ard says they’ve rescued over 100 people since the flood event started, but now it seems as though the rivers have crested and are now going down. He says many people in the parish took on water and are dealing with nightmare cleanup and recovery…:

CUT 4 (10)  “lost their home”

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Louisiana State University is launching the car sharing service, Zipcar, so students without a car can rent a vehicle by the hour, week, or month. Jeff Campbell, LSU’s Sr. Director of Parking and Transportation Services, says interested college kids or anyone in the area would pay a yearly membership fee and the vehicles are conveniently located around campus.

CUT 5 (10)  “communities”

Campbell says to sign up for the Zipcar service either go online to their website or download the Zipcar app on your smartphone. He hopes this will help with the increase of international students at LSU.

CUT 6 (10) “campus”

Zipcar pays for your gas and insurance. Campbell says this is the first car sharing program at a college campus in Louisiana. He says any service like this is a plus to LSU.

CUT 7 (09) “initiatives”

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The Red Cross has been active in and around the state assisting people affected by the flooding. Nancy Malone with the Red Cross says hundreds of disaster workers are responding in Louisiana. Malone says more than 200 people stayed overnight in the 14 Red Cross and community run shelters throughout the state.

CUT 8 (08) “in 2012”

Malone says the Red Cross has 6 shelters in north Louisiana, three in southeast Louisiana and one in the Calcasieu area that are still open. She says hundreds of homes were either destroyed or received major damage.

CUT 9 (04) “in the state”

Malone says people can get involved with flood relief efforts by applying to become a member of the Red Cross at red cross-dot-org or by making donations.

cut 10 (11)  “in the past”

Malone says people can donate $10 to the Red Cross via cell phone by texting the word “REDCROSS” to 9-0-9-9-9.

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Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the United States and Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson wants to reduce the number of low level inmates, which will save the state money. Johnson says the US locks up more people than Iran, China, and Germany.

Cut 11 (08) “average”

Johnson says Louisiana spent over 600 million dollars in state corrections last fiscal year. She says our greatest resource is our people, so the state needs to invest in programs to provide job opportunities…

cut 12 (09) “connection there”

Johnson says South Carolina has passed legislation to significantly reduce the prison population while also influencing a reduction in violent crimes, all while saving the state 350 million dollars. She says comprehensive solutions to the state’s over-incarceration should include changes to pre-trial services, like South Carolina and Kentucky have done.

Cut 13 (08)  “of it”

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Alexandria attorney Thomas Davenport is asking the Rapides Parish Police Jury to remove a Confederate monument outside of the Rapides Parish Courthouse. Davenport says the monument, which has been there for over 100 years, alters the perception of justice.

cut 14 (11)  “of a crime”

The tall monument features a Confederate soldier on top, along with the phrases such as “Lest We forget.” Davenport says this statue is not the kind of thing people should see before they enter a courthouse to seek justice. He says he wants the monument to be replaced.

cut 15 (08) “this state” 

The police jury has reviewed Davenport’s request, but is holding off on any action, until the state legislature acts on legislation dealing with the confederate monuments. He says it is saddening that of all the good things our state has done, this is what was chosen to be memorialized.

cut 16 (04)  “a message”