Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser wants to boost international travel throughout Louisiana. Don Molino has more…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Don Molino”

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LSU President F. King Alexander expresses his concerns to legislators about future budget cuts to higher ed. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The number of international visitors has grown in Louisiana, but Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, who oversees tourism in the state, doesn’t just want these travelers to visit New Orleans. Nungesser says there are direct flights into New Orleans from London, Germany, and Honduras, but he wants to see these tourists get out to the rest of the state.

Cut 3 (12) “of Louisiana”

Nungesser says there are 17 scenic byways across Louisiana through 53 parishes covering 2,400 miles. He hopes these highways encourage international travelers to get off the interstates and see more of the Bayou State. He says this would not only benefit the small towns in Louisiana, but the state as a whole.

cut 4  (09) “by tourists”

Louisiana saw a 36-percent increase in international tourism from 2014 to 2015, ranking second in the nation for overall growth. Nungesser says Louisiana could see one million more international visitors by 2018, representing an economic impact of $1.7 billion.

Cut 5  (09)  “more money”

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Governor John Bel Edwards’ executive order preventing LGBT discrimination in state government and businesses who have contracts with the state has been overturned. Attorney General Jeff Landry says he applauds Judge Todd Hernandez’ ruling. He says at the end of the day, this case was about the governor trying to create his own law.

Cut 6 (11) “the process”

The governor had filed a lawsuit against the AG for blocking state contracts that contained anti-discrimination language. Landry says it wasn’t the anti-discrimination aspect of the order that was the problem, it was the legality. He says if a bill passed that established the LGBT community as a protected class, then that would be different.

CUT 7 (07)  “create it”

Sean Sullivan with Forum for Equality Foundation says this ruling is another setback for the LGBT community in Louisiana. But he says they are confident the Governor’s Office will continue to fight to move these protections forward.

Cut 8 (09) “the state”

Sullivan says these are not new protections, as they have been in place under two previous Louisiana governors, Edwin Edwards and Kathleen Blanco. He says unfortunately, at this point in time these kinds of protections are necessary.

Cut 9 (08)  “and socially”

Governor Edwards released a statement saying he plans to appeal the ruling.

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LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron has hired former Pittsburgh Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada to be the Tigers new O.C. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says once it was obvious Alabama’s Lane Kiffin was seeking a head coaching job, Canada was the best choice.

Cut 10 (10) “he’s been”

Moran says Matt Canada will fit well in the mix with defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. He says both started their coaching careers young and worked their way up quickly…

cut 11 (09) “and versatility”

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LSU President F. King Alexander went before the House Appropriations Committee and expressed his concerns over the 16^th budget cut in nine years that the school is facing. Alexander says they can’t be much more efficient when LSU is already 46 out of 50 flagship universities in per student spending. He says at some point the state needs to invest in the next generation of students.

cut 12 (11) “they have”

Higher Education Commissioner Joseph Rallo is asking the legislature to increase funding by 189-million dollars in next year’s budget. But the state has as an estimated 600-million dollar budget deficit for this year. Alexander says the University of Alabama is in the process of hiring 300 new teachers, while LSU has lost over 500 in the past nine years.

Cut 13 (07) “this weekend”

The state’s budget problems have forced TOPS students in the upcoming semester to pay over 50-percent of their tuition. Alexander says enrollment is down 3.5 percent for the next semester compared to the previous spring…

cut 14 (11) “our institution”

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The tables turned on a robbery suspect in Shreveport when a 71-year-old shop owner took action into his own hands. Cpl. Marcus Hines with Shreveport Police says the owner let 36-year-old Michael Kelly into his business to use the bathroom. He says that’s when Kelly stole the man’s wallet and things turned violent.

Cut 15 (07) “multiple times”

Hines says Kelly was struck three times and tried to flee on foot, but collapsed in front of the business. He says when police arrived, the owner was visibly shaken.

Cut 16  (10)  “minor injuries”

Hines says Kelly faces a laundry list of charges, including armed robbery, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, resisting an officer, and an outstanding warrant.

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Now that Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy a U.S. Senator, he says he’ll work to solve Louisiana’s problem. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (25) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Two polls find a majority of Louisianans believe President-elect Trump should repeal Obamacare and replace it with a new healthcare system. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Republicans have a stronger majority in the US Senate after Republican John Kennedy’s victory Saturday. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Cardell Hayes has been found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of former Saints star Will Smith. Hayes was also found guilty of attempted manslaughter for shooting Smith’s wife during the April 9th road rage incident in New Orleans. Former Saints running back Deuce McAllister was there when the verdict was read and says this was not a win for anybody…

cut 4  (07) “really win”

Hayes could have been found guilty of second-degree murder for the road rage shooting. He faces up to 40 years in prison and sentencing is set for February 17th. It took 5.5 hours before the jury reached the verdict. McAllister says there is some relief that Hayes was found guilty of a crime, but it’s still not a win….

Cut 5  (10)  “for everybody”

District Attorney Leon Cannizaro says they are gratified for the verdict. Hayes’ lead attorney John Fuller says they respect the jury’s decision and they’ll regroup and see what the next approach is. McAllister spoke with Smith’s widow, Racquel, and says it’s very painful time for the family…

Cut 6 (12) “not there”

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Two different polls show a majority of Louisiana residents agree with repealing the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Pollster Ed Chervenak says in a telephone survey conducted by the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center, 66-percent of 776 people polled support the idea…

CUT 7 (08)  “right idea”

Chervenak says the poll also found men are more interested in the complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act than women.

Cut 8 (06) “our men”

A poll by Southern Media and Opinion Research found 56-percent of Louisianans surveyed believe President-elect Trump should repeal Obamacare and replace it with a new healthcare plan. But Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says 34-percent oppose the replacement…

Cut 9 (07)  “Democrats”

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Now that Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy has been elected as U.S. Senator, he plans to tackle some of Louisiana’s problems in Washington D.C. Kennedy says it’s time for a change and the first thing he will fight for is additional relief for our flood victims.

Cut 10 (06)  “afford it”

Kennedy says he will fight to bring more jobs to Louisiana. He says we have the third highest unemployment rate in the country.

cut 11 (08) “those jobs”

The future U.S. Senator says our economy is in trouble and he’ll work to fix that.

cut 12 (08) “of 08”

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John Kennedy’s victory in the US Senate race gives the GOP a larger majority, 52 republicans to 48 democrats in the upper chamber. ULM political science professor Dr. Joshua Stockley says this is an important win for Republicans, because it gives them a larger cushion to deal with issues as they arise in the Senate.

Cut 13 (06) “tie breaker”

Stockley expects efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and passing immigration reform will be close votes because these issues divide both parties. He says Obamacare is the chief accomplishment of the Obama Administration, and Democrats won’t want to give it up. He says 52 votes won’t be enough to pass more contentious bills.

cut 14 (09) “is 60”

Stockley doesn’t expect every vote to be an uphill battle. He says both parties can agree on things like infrastructure and reducing the national deficit. But he says we’ve seen a growing divide between the parties over the past few years.

Cut 15 (09) “reversing itself”

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Secretary of State Tom Schedler expects voter turnout to be low for tomorrow’s election. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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President-elect Donald Trump laid out the agenda for his presidency during a speech in front of supporters in Baton Rouge. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The election cycle finally comes to an end tomorrow in Louisiana, and voter turnout is expected to be much lower than in November. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says early voter turnout was much lower for the runoff than it was in the general election.

Cut 3 (10) “in November”

Schedler expects an overall voter turnout around 30-percent for Saturday’s election. He says voter fatigue has hit, and now people are more worried about getting ready for the holidays.

cut 4  (09) “is elsewhere”

Schedler says there are 156 propositions across 44 parishes up for vote, and the US Senate race will be on the ballot statewide. He says while many parishes will only have one item on the ballot, some precincts still have heated races.

Cut 5  (09)  “local election”

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8 p.m.

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The University of New Orleans Survey Research Center finds Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy continues to have a huge lead over Democrat Foster Campbell in Saturday’s election. UNO Pollster Ed Chervenak says 62-percent of the 776 respondents favored Kennedy while 33-percent supported Campbell.

Cut 6 (09) “Republican’s favor”

Since the November election, Campbell has trailed Kennedy by double digits in all the polls that have been published. Chervenak says Campbell has been hurt by the lack of strong support within the Democratic Party.

CUT 7 (09)  “as Republicans”

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New audio has been released of a conversation between Capt. Clay Higgins and his ex-wife in which the 3^rd Congressional District candidate suggested winning the election would help him pay child support. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says it’s clear Higgins didn’t know the phone conversation was recorded, so hard to say how this impacts the election.

Cut 8 (09) “advantage of”

Higgins reportedly owes more than $100-thousand in child support to ex-wife Rosemary Rothkamm-Hambrice. Cross says Higgins’ personal issues that have been arising throughout the campaign are problems that the public can relate to.

Cut 9 (08)  “doing that”

In the latest poll from the Trafalgar Group, Higgins leads Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle 49-46 percent. Cross says one thing that may give Angelle some hope is that the voters who turn out for this runoff are different than those who voted in the Presidential election

Cut 10 (09) “enthusiasm”

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With the state facing another year of budget problems, Governor John Bel Edwards says it’s time to create a tax structure that’s fair and predictable and able to pay for state services. Lawmakers learned earlier this week that the state has a budget deficit that’s grown to 600-million dollars and Edwards says there’s one area of the tax code he would like to fix…

cut 11 (07) “better”

Earlier this year the legislature approved 1.5 billion dollars in tax increases to help fill a huge budget gap when Edwards walked into office. But Edwards says that wasn’t enough to prevent cuts to government services and Louisiana residents deserve more…

cut 12 (08) “that problem”

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President-elect Donald Trump was in Baton Rouge Friday afternoon to support Republican John Kennedy in the US Senate race. Mr. Trump says Kennedy has worked hard for Louisianans over the years.

Cut 13 (12) “for Louisiana”

Mr. Trump encouraged everyone to hit the polls on Election Day. He told supporters at the rally, if they go vote, Kennedy will win, but if they don’t, he will not. Mr. Trump says he needs Kennedy in Washington to help accomplish their agenda, including protecting the southern border.

cut 14 (10) “come out”

Democrat Foster Campbell spent Friday meeting with reporters in Baton Rouge and then had campaign stops in Alexandria and Lake Charles.  He says his record speaks for itself.

Cut 15 (11) “service commission”

Campbell says Kennedy has been back and forth on both sides of the issues for his whole career. He adds that he’s been consistent.

Cut 16  (08)  “head up”

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