n a 21-16 vote, the state Senate advances New Orleans Senator Ed Murray’s equal pay bill to the House. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The House Education Committee approves legislation that could put an end to the controversy over the Common Core education standards. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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In a narrow vote, the state Senate advances an equal pay bill to the House. New Orleans Senator Ed Murray’s legislation would ensure that all employees receive the same pay for the same kind and quality of work. It also lays out a course of legal action if a worker is underpaid. Mandeville Senator Jack Donahue says this bill puts another nail in the coffin of business…

CUT 3 (07)  “pay fair wages”

The bill passed the Senate on a 21-16 vote. According to recent Census data, Louisiana has the largest gender pay gap in the nation. New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson says this bill is about shrinking the gender pay gap, not promoting lawsuits…

CUT 4 (07)  “all it does”

Data shows, on average, women in Louisiana are paid about two-thirds of what men are paid. Metarie Senator Conrad Appel questions the validity of those statistics…

CUT 5 (08)  “a real problem”

The measure is expected to run into problems in the House Labor Committee, which killed two similar equal pay bills this legislative session. Baton Rouge Senator Dan Claitor says it’s time for Louisiana to close this pay gap…

CUT 6 (06)  “pay for everyone”

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A Louisiana based oil company is set to drill near the site of the BP well blowout that killed 11 workers and caused the nation’s largest offshore oil spill. LLOG (log) Exploration Offshore has been approved to drill into the Macondo reservoir. Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute, Professor Eric Smith, says this shouldn’t cause people to be concerned…

CUT 7 (08)  “up with LLOG”

Smith says LLOG has drilled the well closest to the Macondo blowout without any incident. He says the BP blowout was the cause of human error and the reservoir is safe to drill. Smith says people shouldn’t worry about another blowout…

CUT 8 (10)  “company like LLOG”

LLOG’s permit to drill was approved by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Smith says many companies have drilled in the region over the years without any problems. He believes LLOG will do a good job and it’s time to get production going in the area…

CUT 9 (09)  “except for BP”

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Supporters and opponents of Common Core have come together on legislation that puts a process in place that could lead to new public school education standards.  Lake Charles Representative Brett Geymann, an outspoken critic of Common Core, says the compromise legislation, which was approved by the House Education committee today, allows for more public input in developing academic standards…

cut 10 (08) “embrace”

Geymann says under the proposed compromise, BESE will begin a comprehensive review of English and Math standards this summer and the process will also involve public meetings across the state

cut 11 (10)  “ended up”

The plan calls for BESE to approve new education standards in March 2016, but the next governor will have the authority to reject them.  A member of Governor Jindal’s staff expressed some concerns with the plan and so did members of the public who were there to testify…

cut 12 (08)  “playoff series ended”

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Governor Bobby Jindal’s approval rating in Louisiana is at an all time low according to a new survey. Bernie Pinsonat conducts the Southern Media and Opinion Resarch Poll. He says they found Jindal got a 31.8% positive job performance rating from likely Louisiana voters…:

cut 13 (08)  “more Republican”

Pinsonat says President Barack Obama remains unpopular in Louisiana, but not as unpopular as Governor Jindal. He says in the poll 42.1% rate the president’s job performance as positive and 57.3% negative…:

cut 14 (05) “square that”

Pinsonat says if Jindal does decide to run for president, low approval numbers like this won’t be very helpful to him…:

cut 15 (07) “popular you are”

State Treasurer John Kennedy says the state needs more oversight over state government contracts in light of a report by the Legislative Auditor. Eric Gill reports..

CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

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An image in Champions Square that has Darren Sharper on it will be coming down soon. Jeff Palermo reports…:

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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State Police announce the arrest of the driver of a vehicle wanted in a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist last week in Terrebone Parish. 53-year-old Toni Friloux (FREE-lou) of Houma faces charges in the death of 46-year-old Robert Clowder, Jr. Trooper Evan Harrell says they received a tip from a concerned citizen about the vehicle they were looking for in this incident…

CUT 3 (09)  “that night”

Harrell says Friloux admitted to officers that she was driving the vehicle in question the night Clowder was killed. He says when they found the vehicle, it still had damage to the front fender and windshield as a result of the crash. Harrell says Friloux faces a number of charges…

CUT 4 (08)  “jail process”

Friloux faces charges including hit-and-run and negligent homicide. Harrell says this is a prime example how public assistance can help law enforcement bring criminals to justice…

CUT 5 (08)  “benefit, this time”

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A bill by Gonzales Representative Johnny Berthelot that would double littering fines is full Senate approval away from going to the governor’s desk. The measure passed the House last week and advanced in the Senate Environmental Committee today. Berthelot says the additional revenue would go toward the arresting officers retirement…

CUT 6 (09)  “retirement systems”

Under the measure, first offense fines for simple littering would increase to $150, while subsequent offenses would result in a $1000 fine. Fines for intentional littering would climb to anywhere from $500 to $2500. Livingston Senator Dale Erdey questioned Berthelot about how much money the increased fines would raise…

CUT 7 (12)  “dollars a year”

In this bill, fines for the improper disposal of large litter, like furniture and appliances, could reach up to $10,000. Jennings Senator Dan Morrish wanted assurances this additional money would only be used for law enforcement retirement benefits…

CUT 8 (11)  “the general fund”

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State Treasurer John Kennedy says the state needs far more oversight and transparency in state government contracts in light of a recent report by the state Legislative Auditor. The report found that Louisiana has nearly 15,000 contracts worth about $21 billion with no real way to keep track of many of them. Kennedy says this is a sign of incompetence or subterfuge…

CUT 9 (10)  “nobody can find”

The audit found that nearly 4,600 consulting contracts totaling over $250 million were not included in the tracking system. Kennedy says it’s time to completely reform the way contracts are handled by the state. He says having this many state contracts out there is unacceptable…

cut 10 (12) “billion dollars”

Kennedy says many of these contracts are wasteful spending and millions could be saved with better oversight. He says House Bill 30 by Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard would create more legislative input into these contracts. Kennedy is hopeful the bill will fare better this year than last year when it was vetoed by Governor Jindal…

cut 11 (11)  “his signature”

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The New Orleans Pelicans have fired head coach Monty Williams after five seasons. In a statement, Pels Vice President Mickey Loomis says this wasn’t an easy decision to make, but now was the time and they wish nothing but the best for Williams in the future. Jake Madison, writer with Bourbon Street Shots, says this is a shocking development…:

cut 12 (08)  “playoff series ended”

The Pelicans finished the 2014-2015 season with a record of 45-37 and the 8th position in the Western Conference, earning New Orleans its first postseason berth in four seasons. Madison says we know there was, at times, a power struggle between GM Dell Demps and Williams…:

cut 13 (14)  “now out of a job”

Madison says the team could be eyeing a change in philosophy as Williams has been known to be bull headed and wants things to go his way. He believes Williams never adapted to his players the way some other coaches do…:

cut 14 (14) “never gonna do that”

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Lt. Clay Higgins of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s office is receiving national attention for his intimidating Crimestopper videos. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (32) “reporting”

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Two LSU students develop a smart phone app that allows people to record and upload videos of police encounters and share it with media outlets. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Vivian teenager accused of stabbing his parents. Authorities say 17-year-old Shane Alexander is charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder. Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says Shane went into his parents’ bedroom at about 3AM this morning…

CUT 3 (07)  “injuries to them”

Shane’s step-mother, 61-year-old LaDonna Alexander, was stabbed once in the chest and his father, 64-year-old Jerry Alexander, was stabbed in the back and arm. Chadwick says LaDonna was able to drive herself to the hospital…

CUT 4 (05)  “call 9-1-1”

Jerry was later transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities have yet to release a motive for the crime. Chadwick says, when authorities responded to the call, Shane was still at the house…

CUT 5 (05)  “first degree murder”

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The spokesman for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s office is getting national attention for his intimidating Crimestopper videos created for a Lafayette news station. Lt. Clay Higgins is called the “Cajun John Wayne” for his stern demeanor when talking to perpetrators responsible for these unsolved crimes. He says he never expected all this…:

CUT 6 (07)  “contacting me”

Higgins says the Crimestopper videos were originally scripted but he decided he wanted to use his own words and feelings when talking about these criminal acts. He says he uses a certain way to communicate that if there’s a warrant out for your arrest, you should turn yourself in…:

CUT 7 (08)  “hang their hat on”

Known for the phrase, “Have your affairs in order,” Higgins says it was directed at whomever stole a generator from the home of a man who is confined to a wheelchair. He says he wanted to send a strong, stern message to the person who violated the man’s privacy…:

CUT 8 (09)  “in order”

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Two LSU students have developed a smart phone app that allows people to record and upload videos of police encounters and share it with media outlets. The Police Officer Watchdog Events Reporter, or POWER, app was developed by Wilborn Nobles and Elbis Bolton. Bolton says this app can be used to spread both negative and positive interactions with police…

CUT 9 (08)  “with newsrooms”

With cellphone cameras becoming more widespread, more and more incidents of police, both good and bad, are being caught on camera. This app would become a hub to share those videos with newsrooms nationwide. Bolton says the inspiration for this app came from watching events unfold in Ferguson, Missouri last year…

cut 10 (09) “current events”

The POWER App is currently available for download for Android devices. Bolton says they are working on an iPhone version. Nobles says this app can be a way to more efficiently get cellphone videos in the hands of journalists…

cut 11 (07)  “for that matter”

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State Police say two people are dead after a high speed crash this weekend in St. Tammany Parish that happened after a traffic stop. Trooper Dustin Dwight says an officer pulled over a vehicle speeding in excess of 100 miles per hour in Covington. Dwight says while the trooper was conducting a field sobriety test on the 14-year-old driver of the vehicle, something else happened…

cut 12 (08)  “the traffic stop”

Dwight says 21-year-old Brandon Bigner of Franklinton jumped into the driver’s seat of the car and fled the traffic stop with 14-year-old Sloan McDow of Folsom in the back seat. He says after the trooper secured the juvenile driver in his squad car, the officer left the scene in the direction the car had fled…

cut 13 (10)  “from him, earlier”

Dwight says the officer, who was not in pursuit of the vehicle, came upon the crash scene as he rounded a curve. He says alcohol use is suspected by Bigner. Dwight says this crash was extremely unfortunate… (McDow was pronounced dead at the scene and Bigner died today from his injuries.)

cut 14 (10) “make it, either”

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