Construction is underway on a “lazy river” on the LSU campus in the shape of the letters L-S-U and some wonder if this is appropriate considering the potentially huge budget cuts facing the school. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

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We’re about at the halfway point of the legislative session and lawmakers still have a lot of work to do on the budget. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (28) “reporting”

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A bill headed to the House floor would provide free HIV tests for inmates being released from prison. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 3 (27) “reporting”

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Construction is underway to build a “lazy river” on the LSU campus in the shape of the letters L-S-U and some wonder if this is appropriate considering the potentially huge budget cuts facing the school. Student Body President, Andrew Mahtook, says the funding for this project is completely separate from any state appropriations…

cut 4  (10)  “assessment fee”

In 2011, students passed a resolution asking for a student recreation fee increase to expand the recreation center, which includes the building of the “lazy river.” Professor Kevin Cope, LSU Faculty Senate President, says this shows a flaw in how colleges prioritize funds…

Cut 5  (09)  “their work”

Mahtook says it’s not a fair argument to say that they’re spending money on the “lazy river” instead of paying for courses and teacher salaries…

Cut 6 (10)  “don’t stand up”

Cope admits the cost of the construction of the “lazy river” doesn’t impact the university directly, but feels the university should set a better example…

CUT 7 (07)  “and childish”

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Center of Acadiana at Lafayette General Medical Center is looking for adults diagnosed with multiple myeloma [mahy-uh–loh-muh] to participate in a clinical trial for patients not eligible for stem cell transplants. CCA Oncologist Sal Malad is the principle investigator and he says the trial seeks to compare the effectiveness of a combination of drugs with standard therapy…:

Cut 8  (07)  “daratumumab” 

CCA conducts these trials and studies to help improve patient care and disease prevention. Malad says clinical trials can offer several benefits such as access to investigational drugs that might not otherwise be available. He says there seems to be a disproportionate number of patients in south Louisiana who have multiple myeloma…:

Cut 9 (10)  “transplant”

For more information on this clinical trial, call Lafayette General Medical Center at 337-289-8658. Malad says patients who participate in help advance medical technology and provide valuable benefits to future generations. He says they encourage participants to ask questions and be involved…:

Cut 10 (09) “better treatments”

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State lawmakers have about a month left to pass a budget for next fiscal year. The House has approved a package of bills that raises 664-million dollars that will go towards mitigating budget cuts to higher education and health care. Governor Bobby Jindal says when the session concludes, he expects lawmakers to approve legislation to offset the measures that he considers to be tax increases

cut 11 (07) “and health care”

The House has approved legislation to raise the cigarette tax by 32-cents and reduced tax refunds or tax breaks that businesses currently enjoyed. These bills now head to the Senate and Jindal says there’s still time to come up with a budget that everyone can live with….

cut 12 (09)   “doesn’t raise taxes”

Jindal says he’s okay with legislation that puts a stop to “corporate welfare.” That’s cases where businesses receive more in tax benefits than they pay in taxes. But he says some of the tax bills passed in the House, like the cigarette tax, will need to be offset with a tax break somewhere else…

Cut 13 (10)  “raise taxes”

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A bill headed to the House floor would provide free HIV tests for inmates being released from prison. Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox says before a person leaves a state jail for parole, they should be tested and if needed, treated as a way to help prevent AIDS from spreading further…:

Cut 14 (09) “think it is”

The testing for parolees would not be required under the measure. Cox says Louisiana has the fourth highest number of men and women living with AIDS in the nation…:

Cut 15  (06)  “be treated”

Cox says that in 9 state prisons, about 3 percent of inmates are HIV positive. He says the Department of Corrections has already started testing people as they enter the prison system…:

Cut 16  (08)  “should be tested”

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The number one ranked LSU baseball beat team Missouri six to five in ten innings yesterday to complete a three game sweep of Mizzou. The Tigers won, despite falling behind 3-0 in the 1st inning. Coach Paul Mainieri on the LSU Sports Radio Network liked how his team battled back…

Cut 17 (11)  “of the season”

Conner Hale led the Tigers at the plate on Sunday. He had three hits, drove in two runs and scored twice, including the winning run in the 10th. Mainieri on the LSU Sports Radio Network says the senior from has had a special season…

Cut 18 (15) ” tough pitcher’

LSU is at UNO on Tuesday and then they visit South Carolina for a three-game series on Thursday. The Tigers have a two-game lead in the loss column over Vanderbilt for the overall lead in the SEC. Mainieri on the LSU Sports Radio Network says the Tigers are on the verge of winning another SEC title

Cut 19 (17)  “for championships”

The 2015 Hurricane season is off to an unusual early start. Subtropical storm Ana is said to make landfall on Sunday. Emelie Gunn has more.

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The EPA approves the Louisiana Military Department’s recommended incineration method to dispose 15 million pounds of M6 propellant at Camp Minden. Eric Gill reports…:

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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New Orleans Police say an alligator is to blame for a fatal accident on I-10 early this morning. Officer Frank Robertson says the gator was attempting to cross the interstate at around four this morning…

CUT 3 (04)  “in the road”

He says it appears the van came to a complete stop near the Michoud Exit after hitting the alligator. Robertson says then the van was struck from behind by a Mitsubishi Eclipse…

CUT 4 (03)  “on the scene”

The driver of the Eclipse was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the van and a passenger in the Eclipse were transported to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries. The dead alligator was found underneath the van. Robertson says this is another reminder to be cautious while behind the wheel…

CUT 5 (04)  “to use vigilance”

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This year’s Atlantic hurricane and tropical storm season has gotten off to an early start. 2015’s first named Sub-tropical storm Ana is now bringing an unusual threat to the east coast. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Ana lies southeast of South Carolina and is expected to make landfall on Sunday.

CUT 6 (09)  “the gulf coast.”

Keim says May storms are unusual because hurricane season begins June 1st. He says he doesn’t believe this will be a harbinger for the 2015 season.

CUT 7 (13)  “50 or 60 years.”

Keim says this is considered a sub-tropical storm because it is still ingesting the air from the middle latitudes. He says although these storms are unique, they will form during this time of the year.

CUT 8 (12)  “the right time”

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Louisiana Tech men’s basketball coach Michael White has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Florida. In White’s four years leading the Bulldogs, he accumulated a 101-40 record. “Bleed Tech Blue” Publisher Jonathan Ford says White left a positive legacy at Tech…

CUT 9 (11)  “that’s their goal”

White lead the Bulldogs to three conference regular season titles and two consecutive appearances in the NIT quarterfinals. The school says they will immediately begin a national search for White’s replacement. Ford believes there will be plenty of interest in the opening at Tech…

cut 10 (06) “in America”

In a statement, the university says White represented Louisiana Tech in a first class manner both on and off the court and wish him the best of luck at Florida. Although no time table has been announced for naming White’s replacement, Ford believes the school would like to have someone in place before summer break begins…

cut 11 (10)  “leaves a job”

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The EPA has approved the Louisiana Military Department’s recommended incineration method of disposal of the 15 million pounds of M6 propellant at Camp Minden. State Representative Gene Reynolds says this is a victory for the community who had strong objections to the original plan of the federal government to conduct an open burn to get rid of the explosives

cut 12 (10)  “conditions”

The method to be used will be a contained incineration burn method by the company Explosive Service International. Louisiana Progress Action released a statement saying they are glad there will be no open burn, they still don’t think incineration is the safest method. But Reynolds says you have to live within the parameters of what you have…:

cut 13 (08)  “best answer”

Reynolds says the chosen method is advanced proven technology where combustion will take place inside an enclosure that will trap, filter, scrub and after-burn for safe measure of all of the emissions from the disposal of the explosives. He says the container has to be built first then they’ll work to get rid of it as soon as possible…:

cut 14 (05) “started”

It appears that Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne has fired the first shot in Louisiana’s governor’s race. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The state House approves several bills that will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to stave off large cuts to higher education and health care. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 2 (31) “reporting”

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State Police announce the arrest of 34 individuals over the last two months following numerous criminal investigations by their Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit. These people were involved in committing insurance fraud, including staged or “jump-in” crashes and falsifying documents to make injury claims. Sgt. Nick Manale says some think these crimes are harmless, but that is far from the truth…

CUT 3 (07)  “across the state”

Manale says these insurance fraud cases affect insurance rates and policies across the state. He says in one case a subject paid a friend to rent a truck and then staged a crash…

CUT 4 (11)  “payment on that”

It is reported that intentional or staged crashes costs the insurance industry billions of dollars each year in fraudulent claims. Manale says police aren’t the only ones watching out for these cases, insurance companies also have their own investigators…

CUT 5 (11)  “acts did occur”

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It appears that the first shot has been fired in Louisiana’s governor’s race. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne issued a statement calling US Senator David Vitter an absentee Senator after he missed a budget vote in the Senate. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says this is a sign of things to come…

CUT 6 (09)  “at one another”

Dardenne says instead of casting a Senate vote, Vitter was in Louisiana having a beer with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in an effort to boost his gubernatorial bid. Dubos says this campaign has been in the silent phase and hasn’t really gotten rolling yet…

CUT 7 (11)  “at each other”

Dubos says any political campaign has the potential to get personal. He says the more important the job, the more likely it is that rules are thrown out the window…

CUT 8 (09)  “at one another”

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Now that we know that former LSU Tiger La’el Collins was not the father of Brittney Mills’ deceased baby, where does the investigation into the murder go from here? Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman Don Coppola says this is still very much an ongoing active case they are working on…:

CUT 9 (09)  “her child”

Mills was gunned down and killed at her apartment on April 24th when she was 8 months pregnant and though EMS was able to deliver the baby, he died a week later. Coppola says investigators sought Collins out for questioning in the case and requested he take a paternity test because the relationship he had with Mills was a romantic one…:

cut 10 (05) “not the father”

Collins has reportedly signed a 3 year $1.65 million dollar contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Coppola says Collins fully cooperated in the investigation and was never a suspect. He says they are still working to identify one…:

cut 11 (06)  “violent crimes unit”

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The state House approves a series of bills that raises hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues to stave off large cuts to higher education and health care. Before the discussion began, House Speaker Chuck Kleckley explained to legislators how important it is to vote “Yes” on these bills…

cut 12 (10)  “what we are doing”

Among the bills passed today, a 32-cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes. The author of the measure is Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie and he says it will generate 68-million dollars that can go towards health care costs….

cut 13 (10)  “where I want it”

A scale back of  tax credit programs also passed today. And legislators approved bills that will result in higher taxes on businesses. House Ways and Means Chairman Joel Robideaux explained the need to do this, even though there’s opposition from business and industry

cut 14 (12) “movie theaters”

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s office says a man is behind bars accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend so badly, she lost their baby. Michelle Southern reporting…:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The House Health and Welfare Committee approves a bill that would prohibit abortions in Louisiana that are based on the gender of the unborn baby.  Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 2 (28) “reporting”

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The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s office says a man is behind bars accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend so badly, she lost the baby. Captain Dawn Foret says they received a complaint from a concerned citizen that there were multiple instances of abuse involving 36-year-old Tyson Cheavis of Gibson and his 27-year-old girlfriend…:

CUT 3 (08)  “pregnancy recently”

Foret says the victim admitted she went to a local hospital after being attacked by Cheavis and during an examination was informed her unborn child did not have a heartbeat…:

CUT 4 (08)  “with his girlfriend”

Foret says Cheavis admitted to beating his girlfriend when he was aware that she was pregnant with his child in her second trimester. She says he also confessed to causing multiple injuries to the victim that ultimately lead to the death of their unborn child…:

CUT 5 (07)  “feticide”

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Bossier Parish Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a Haughton man wanted for swindling nearly $3000 from a youth baseball league. Lt. Bill Davis says 25-year-old Robert Martin III applied to be a coach for a team in a local league and began accepting payments from sponsors and parents for uniforms and other items. Davis says it’s apparent that everything with Martin was not on the up and up…

CUT 6 (09)  “out the door”

When league officials discovered Martin had a criminal record which made him ineligible to coach the children, they asked him to return the money and any equipment but he never showed up. Davis says it’s obvious Martin had no intention of supporting the league or the players…

CUT 7 (05) “with our children”

Martin is wanted for felony theft. Detectives believe Martin may have fled the area or the state. Davis says they hope somebody comes forward who knows the whereabouts of Martin…

CUT 8 (10)  “pretty low down”

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The House Health and Wefare committee unanimously approves legislation that prohibits an abortion, if the decision to terminate the pregnancy is based on sex selection. Houma Representative Lenar Whitney is the author of the bill and she says the use of abortion as a means for sex selection is a social problem in a number of Asian countries where male children are widely preferred over females…

CUT 9 (09)  “baby girls”

According to the Louisiana Right to Life, sex selection is a significant problem in India and China. Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox says  Louisiana should not follow what China does…

cut 10 (10) “their population”

The bill heads to the House floor for more debate. Committee Chairman Joe Lopinto read off the list of groups and individuals who oppose the bill, but none of them spoke out against the measure….

cut 11 (12)  “for choice”

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Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore has pulled his legislation that would have put recreational marijuana legalization on a ballot. Honore says times are changing and he’s glad the conversation about marijuana has been started this session, but his particular measure had too much opposition and he knew it wouldn’t pass…:

cut 12 (09)  “opposed to it”

The use of pot for recreational purposes is legal in Colorado and Honore says he recently visited with lawmakers there. He says marijuana generated 76 million dollars in taxes for Colorado in the first year and the incarceration rate went way down, but he doesn’t think the people of Louisiana are ready…:

cut 13 (06)  “little farther”

Honore says he talked to everyone on the House Criminal Justice Committee who agreed this might be something to do one day, but not at this time…:

cut 14 (08) “defer this bill”

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