The Baton Rouge Press Club is hosting a gubernatorial forum today and three of the four major candidates are expected to attend. Jeff Palermo has more….

CUT 1 (25) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The latest US Census data shows Louisiana had the third highest rate of poverty in the country in 2014. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton makes a campaign fundraising stop in Baton Rouge today. Michelle Southern reports…:

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The Baton Rouge Press Club is holding a gubernatorial forum today and three of the four major candidates are expected to attend. Senator David Vitter will not be at the forum. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says even with the other debates he’s missed, he doesn’t think this will hurt Vitter’s chances of making the runoff.

cut 4  (10)  “big risk”

Pinsonat says Vitter’s base is strong and want him as the next governor because he’s proven to be a strong conservative. He says Vitter supporters aren’t worried about his prostitution scandal and the fact that he isn’t attending this press club forum won’t change how they view him.

Cut 5  (09)  “their guy”

Pinsonat says even though Vitter is missing today’s forum, he has enough money to get is message out through TV commercials.

Cut 6 (09)  “the runoff”

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The Louisiana Workforce Commission says the number of people employed in mining and logging, and that includes the oil sector, is at its lowest level since December 2005. There are 46-thousand people employed in this sector of the state’s economy, a decline of 78-hundred over the last year. Executive director of the L-W-C Curt Eysink says you can blame the low price of oil…

CUT 7 (07)  “those impacts”

Eysink says job losses in the oil sector are starting to impact other areas of the state’s economy

Cut 8  (04)  “transportation ” 

But Eysink says overall the state has added more jobs in the last year because of an industrial construction boom happening across south Louisiana. He says the state has nearly 25-thousand more workers than in August 2014…

Cut 9 (04) “…tremendous rate” 

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According to the latest U.S. Census data, Louisiana had the third highest rate of poverty in the country for 2014, just below 20 percent. Jan Moller, Director of the Louisiana Budget Project, says he hopes the gubernatorial candidates will create plans to reduce poverty in the state because it’s often a topic that gets swept under the rug.

Cut 10 (08) “solutions”

Moller says we have a lot of work to do to create an economy that works for everybody. He says there are policies out there that could easily help us move the needle.

cut 11 (11) “do so”

Almost 897-thosuand of Louisiana residents lived below the poverty line, which is 24-thousand dollars for a family of four. Moller says the rate of children living in poverty in the state was even higher and estimated at 28 percent.

Cut 12 (10) “poverty rates”

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Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton makes a campaign fundraising stop in Baton Rouge today. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s been a rough few weeks for the former Secretary of State because of an email scandal…:

Cut 13 (10)  “kinds of things”

The fundraiser is being held at businessman Jim Bernhard’s home and it costs $2700 to attend. Even though Clinton’s poll numbers have drastically declined over the summer, Cross believes she still has a good shot at the White House…:

Cut 14 (11) “one in four chance”

This morning, Clinton will be in the Capitol City at what’s being described as a “grassroots organizing event” aimed at building up local volunteers who will help the campaign leading into Louisiana’s March 5th primary. Cross says Clinton is working to stay the course:

Cut 15  (08)  “succeeding right now”

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LSU’s Leonard Fournette is the biggest star in college football after his jaw dropping performance in a 45-21 win over Auburn. Fournette had a career-high 228 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The sophomore says he had a blast running around and through Auburn tacklers.

Cut 16  (11)  “I was”

Fournette’s showing through two games has him as an early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. But the New Orleans native is not thinking about post-season awards…

Cut 17 (10) “its them” 

The victory for LSU gives them a 2-0 record, with both victories coming an SEC west division foes. With Alabama suffering a loss on Saturday, LSU is now one of the favorites to win the division. Fournette likes where his team is at

Cut 18 (08) “right now”

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The Saints are 0-2 on the season after losing to Tampa Bay 26-19 in front of home crowd at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The Saints had a brief lead in the 2nd quarter, but the Buccaneers took control in the 3rd quarter and three New Orleans turnovers were too much to overcome. Coach Sean Payton says the Bucs were the better team.

Cut 19 (12) “ball over”

Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 255 yards and one touchdown. But he was intercepted once and sacked four times. The defense allowed rookie quarterback Jameis Winston to get settled and there were mistakes on special teams. Payton says it’s easy to see why they lost.

Cut 20 (18)  “good football”

According to numbers from Gasbuddy-dot-com, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has officially dropped below two-dollars a gallon. Jeff Palermo reports…

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A Thursday fundraiser in New Orleans raised $350,000 for Governor Bobby Jindal’s presidential campaign. Emilie Gunn has more…

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According to numbers from Gasbuddy-dot-com, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has dropped below two-dollars a gallon. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski says the average price has fallen to $1.99 a gallon. He says this downward pressure on gas prices was something they noticed in August…

CUT 3 (08)  “fall season”

South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama also have statewide average gas prices below two-dollars a gallon. Laskoski reminds motorists that $1.99 is Louisiana’s average price…

CUT 4 (07)  “$1.67”

He says there are several stations in the West Monroe area have regular gas prices as low as $1.67. Laskoski doesn’t know just how low gas prices will go, but expects them to continue to fall through the rest of the year. He says today’s prices are a huge difference from last year…

CUT 5 (07) “a gallon”

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Former state Senator Derrick Shepherd, who spent time in jail on a money laundering charge, has been disqualified from the October 24^th election. But a 1998 constitutional amendment prevents convicted felons from running for election unless they’ve been pardoned or 15 years since their prison sentence. Legal Analyst Chick Foret says Shepherd tried to use a technicality to get his name on the ballot.

CUT 6 (12) “vote on”

Shepherd was seeking a return to the state legislature and qualified to run for a House seat based in Jefferson Parish. But state Judge Stephen Enright ruled on Friday that Shepherd’s name should be removed from the ballot. Foret says Shepherd can take his case to the Court of Appeals.

CUT 7 (09)  “and see””

Shepherd was elected in 2003 to the state legislature and convicted in 2008 for being involved in a money laundering scheme. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Foret says the outcome of Friday’s ruling was very predictable and does not believe Shepherd can win on appeal.

CUT 8 (11)  “even qualify” 

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Governor Bobby Jindal raised $350,000 during a campaign fundraiser in New Orleans Thursday. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says despite mixed reviews the governor received for his performance in Wednesday’s debate, Jindal is still able to raise funds for his presidential campaign…

CUT 9 (10)  “anti-big government”

In an email, the Jindal campaign says the fundraiser shows the governor’s debate performance resonated with supporters in Louisiana. Hogan feels many Republican candidates, including Jindal, are betting that front-runner Donald Trump will lose support and those votes have got to go somewhere…

cut 10 (08)  “in the polls”

The governor will resume campaign efforts in Iowa this weekend. Hogan says the key for Jindal is to beat expectations…

Cut 11 (09)  “second look” 2X

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The US House of Representatives passed two abortion related bills Friday. The Defund Planned Parenthood Act would freeze government funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany supported passage of the measure. He says he became an original co-sponsor of the bill after viewing the controversial leaked videos…

cut 12 (09)  “of atrocious”

The bill passed on a 241-187 vote. Boustany says investigations are underway into the group’s practices and the public deserves to know the truth…

cut 13 (08)  “of activity”

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would establish criminal penalties on medical personnel who do not aid an infant born alive after an attempted abortion. Minden Representative John Fleming voted in favor of the bill saying it will put a stop to the double murder attempt on a baby’s life…

cut 14 (06)  “medical attention”

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Political analysts say Governor Bobby Jindal failed to stand out in last night’s CNN Republican presidential candidate debate. Eric Gill reports…

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With flu season quickly approaching, it’s time to get your annual flu shot. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Political analysts say Governor Bobby Jindal failed to stand out in last night’s CNN Republican presidential candidate debate. Jindal was among four candidates who appeared in a debate of lower tier candidates. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says last night’s performance shows why Jindal continues to remain at the bottom of the pack…

CUT 3 (10)  “positive fashion”

He says Jindal didn’t provide anything new in this debate to attract new supporters. Stockley feels the governor really flopped when asked about the 14-year-old Muslim student in Texas who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school that a teacher thought was a bomb…

CUT 4 (08)  “around him”

Stockley says Jindal failed to give viewers insight on who he is. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat describes Jindal’s performance as adequate. He doesn’t think Jindal’s opening attack on front-runner Donald Trump worked as intended…

CUT 5 (06) “everybody else”

He says this doesn’t mean the end for Jindal as he is focused on doing well in the Iowa caucus. But Pinsonat says these debates are certainly not helping Jindal on the national stage…

CUT 6 (04) “White House”

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It’s almost flu season again so that means it’s time to get your flu shot. The Center for Disease Control’s Flu Expert Michael Jhung says last year’s flu season was a rough one so if the vaccination is available, you should get one as soon as possible. He says this year’s flu shot will provide better protection from the virus than last year’s

CUT 7 (09)  “the vaccines””

Jhung says everyone needs to be vaccinated but those over 65 and children under five are at a high risk for catching the virus. He says the flu shot is safe and it can only cause local side effects, like redness at the injection site.

CUT 8 (09)  “infection” 

Jhung says the earlier you get vaccinated the better because it takes about two weeks to be fully protected.

CUT 9 (10)  “yesterday”

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The Many Police Department says a Texas man arrested on drug charges tried to tell police that the pants containing the alleged illegal narcotics were not his pants. Police spokesperson Dean Lambert says 41-year-old Demontra Nelson was apprehended after trying to cash a false check at a grocery store. Lambert says K-9 dogs found the cocaine and marijuana on Nelson’s possession…

cut 10 (10)  “charged anyway”

Lambert says during the car chase that led up to the arrest, Nelson and the driver, 47-year-old Hurpe Miles, threw a fraudulent check and fake I-D out the window of the vehicle. He says once they stopped, officers called the narcotics K-9 unit to the scene.

Cut 11 (10)  “bank fraud” 

Lambert says he’s been in law enforcement a long time and only heard this excuse one other time.

cut 12 (06)  “never works (2x)”

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During a Lt. Governor’s candidate debate, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden said he was appalled that state Senator Elbert Guillory used the “n-word” in a campaign commercial. Holden, who is an African-American, let his frustrations known when asked about the commercial that Guillory aired which has former President Lyndon Johnson using the racial slur…

cut 13 (10)  “a shame”

Guillory, who is a black lawmaker from Opelousas, said he included the phrase in the ad for “educational purposes”. Guillory then took a shot at Holden’s intelligence…

cut 14 (06)  “you made”

Guillory said only an idiot, who had not seen his commercial, would make the comments that Holden made. Holden then responded to being called an idiot by Guillory…

cut 15 (10) “Baton Rouge” 

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