A poll from LSU finds Louisiana residents like the concept behind Common Core, until you call it “Common Core.” Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana alleges that Albert Hardison, principal at Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle School in Shreveport, engaged in unlawful religious coercion by using God, prayer, and Christianity in school publications. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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As body cameras are being introduced to more law enforcement agencies across the state, a Baton Rouge lawmaker wants to make it a requirement that all law enforcement officers are equipped with the new technology. State Representative Dalton Honore says the use of body cameras can protect both citizens and police officers…

CUT 3 (08)  “down tremendously”

Honore says body cameras can solve a lot of issues between citizens and law enforcement, similar to what dashboard cameras on police vehicles have done…

CUT 4 (05)  “a vehicle”

He says there have been recent incidents around the country where the use of body cameras would have answered a lot of questions. Honore feels that a body camera is a great tool in keeping everyone honest…

CUT 5 (07)  “great protection”

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A poll conducted by LSU finds Louisiana residents oppose education standards that are called Common Core, but support the concept. Doctor Michael Henderson, director of LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab, says when citizens were asked if they support Common Core, only 39-percent said yes….

CUT 6 (07)  “67-percent support it”

Henderson says when they didn’t use the term “Common Core” and asked residents if they support higher academic standards that allows Louisiana to compare student achievement with other states 67-percent support it.

Henderson says the poll also shows the public is poorly informed on who developed the education standards for common core. He says that’s based on the answers they got when they asked who developed the standards, the federal government or the state

CUT 7 (06)  “some guessing”

Henderson says the political fighting over Common Core shows that it has tainted the Common Core brand….

CUT 8 (11)  “Common Core”

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana allegesthat Albert Hardison, principal at Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle School in Shreveport, engaged in unlawful religious coercion by using God, prayer, and Christianity in school publications. Louisiana ACLU Executive Director Marjorie Esman says they recently learned of a newsletter Hardison sent home to parents ahead of standardized testing…

CUT 9 (09)  “on the test”

She says the school’s website also features a “Principal’s Message” that includes references to God and Christ. Esman says these references are a direct violation of the separation of Church and State. She says it’s troubling because Hardison should know what the Constitution says about this…

cut 10 (11) “good example” (2x)

In a statement, Caddo Parish Public Schools say they are investigating and taking steps to ensure school employees are not violating the Constitution. Esman says a letter has been sent to Caddo Parish School Superintendent Lamar Goree asking that all religious references be removed from the school’s website…

cut 11 (08)  “breaking the law”

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Indiana is taking a lot of heat for its new “religious freedom” law. Sarah Jane Brady, with the Forum for Equality, hopes Louisiana can learn from Indiana when they push a law in the upcoming session that protects discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity…

cut 12 (10)  “here in Louisiana”

Every year, lawmakers in Baton Rouge shoot down bills to protect the L-G-B-T community and there’s also a constitutional amendment on the books that bans gay marriages in Louisiana. Brady hopes what has happened in Indiana will lead to changes with Lousiaina’s discrimination laws

cut 13 (10)  “need protection”

Critics of Indiana’s law says it allows businesses to discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender individuals. Brady says they’ll seek to pass a law in the upcoming session to make sure the LGBT community is protected from discrimination in Louisiana

cut 14 (11)  “community”

The four announced candidates for governor will discuss issues impacting small businesses in a forum hosted by National Federation of Independent Business. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (27) “reporting”

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A Lafayette legislator proposes a bill that would require state high school students to pass a test equal to the civics portion of the US Naturalization Test. Scott Carwile reports…

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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Supporters for Common Core in Louisiana public schools have won a legal battle. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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Today the National Federation of Independent Business, along with the Louisiana Restaurant Association and the Louisiana Retailers Association, will host a panel discussion featuring the four announced candidates for governor. Louisiana NFIB Director Dawn Starns expects a good crowd to listen to what these candidates have to say…

cut 4  (08)  “business in mind”

The 90-minute forum will take place in Baton Rouge. Starns expects the candidates to address several issues regarding small business…

Cut 5  (09)  “incentive programs”

Starns says this is a great opportunity for small business owners to make an informed decision on who they will support in this year’s governor’s race…

Cut 6 (08)  “of our economy”

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A Lafayette legislator proposes a bill that would require state high school students to pass a test equal to the civics portion of the US Naturalization Test. Senator Page Cortez says 92-percent of immigrants pass the naturalization test, while studies have shown that less than 4-percent of US born high school students are capable of getting a passing grade…

CUT 7 (10)  “natural born citizens”

He says there is a concern nationally that that naturalized citizens know more about our government than natural-born citizens. Cortez says his bill ultimately make this test a requirement for graduation…

Cut 8  (08)  “pass civics” 

Cortez says this is part of a national movement called the “Civics Initiation Initiative” that hopes to have this implemented in all 50 states by 2017. He says there’s more to this than just smarten up kids in civics class…

Cut 9 (06)  “public service”  (2x)

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A Bossier Parish man’s bond is set at three-million dollars and he faces up to 120 years in prison if convicted on child pornography charges. State Police trooper Matt Harris says during a search of 60-year-old Robert Childs’ home they found cameras that were recording houses in the neighborhood where children lived

Cut 10 (08) “to a DVR”

Harris says state police had a warrant to search Childs’ home after an IP address located inside his house was found to be downloading child pornography. He says once inside, agents located strategically placed  cameras

cut 11 (10) “were recording”

Harris says child pornography was also being downloaded at the time of the search. Childs was charged with 300 counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of distribution of child porn. He says Childs faces up to 120 years in prison if convicted on these charges

cut 12 (06)  “number one priority”

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A state judge throws out a lawsuit that sought to remove Common Core from Louisiana’s public schools. Judge Tim Kelley says he dismissed the suit, because it should have been filed within two years after BESE approved Common Core in 2010. State Education Superintendent John White applauds the decision

Cut 13 (09)  “five years ago”

White says he’s glad the courts dismissed an attempt to force teachers back to the drawing board when there’s solid education standards already in place.

Cut 14 (10) “Thursday morning quarterbacking”

Seventeen lawmakers filed the lawsuit, which is backed by Governor Bobby Jindal. Lake Charles Representative Brett Geymann says they plan to appeal. Geymann disagrees with Judge Kelley’s ruling, because the adoption of Common Core was done illegally and without public comment….

Cut 15  (08)  “first place”

Despite Judge Kelley’s ruling, Geymann says they’ll continue efforts to eliminate Common Core through the courts and the upcoming legislative session…

Cut 16  (06)  “have that removed”

The Louisiana Democratic Party endorses Amite Representative John Bel Edwards as its candidate in Louisiana’s governor’s race. Jeff Palermo reports…

CUT 1 (24) “reporting”

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The National Wildlife Federation releases a report that finds dolphins along Louisiana’s coast dying in large numbers and sea turtles having trouble nesting. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries continues its investigation into a fatal boat wreck on the Pearl River in St. Tammany Parish. The incident claimed the life of 41-year-old Terry O’ Keefe Junior of Folsum and his 31-year-old girlfriend Jonie Morgan still has not been found. L-D-W-F spokesperson Adam Einck says their 14 foot aluminum vessel capsized on Saturday near lock number 3…

CUT 3 (07)  “went into water”

Einck says there were three children on the boat, who survived because they wore life jackets. He says a 16-year-old came upon the scene and tried to drag two of the children and the mother to safety

CUT 4 (08)  “she went under”

The youngest person on the boat was a four-year-old girl. Einck says it appears at this time she was stuck under the vessel….

CUT 5 (09)  “to shore”

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The Louisiana Democratic Party endorses Amite Representative John Bel Edwards as its candidate in Louisiana’s governor’s race. It is believed that this move will deter other major Democratic candidates from jumping into the race. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat thinks this shows that Edwards is the Democrats last, best hope for governor…

CUT 6 (10)  “where he is”

Pinsonat says this is a sign that New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has told people privately that he will not run for the governor’s seat. Pinsonat says the party’s endorsement, on top of others Edwards has received, puts him in a good position…

CUT 7 (08)  “the runoff”

Pinsonat says this is a good endorsement for Edwards, but it is a mixed bag. He says Louisiana voters haven’t been kind to Democrats in recent statewide elections…

CUT 8 (10)  “Democrats in Louisiana”

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The state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating an early morning fatal fire in Caddo Parish that claimed the lives of a husband and wife. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says firefighters found the mobile home fully engulfed in flames when they arrived shortly after 2AM…

CUT 9 (11)  “unsuccessfully”

53-year-old Richard Fowler and his wife, 54-year-old Wanda Fowler were pronounced dead at the scene. Browning says the investigation is in its initial stages and information is limited…

cut 10 (10) “quickly escape”

Investigators were informed by relatives that the couple were heavy smokers who suffered from COPD. Browning says they have found no indications of foul play in this fire. He says investigators did find the remains of smoke alarms in the trailer…

cut 11 (11)  “know right now”

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A report from the National Wildlife Federation provides evidence that sea turtles, dolphins, fish and birds are still suffering from the BP oill spill that occurred nearly five years ago. Lead author of the report, Ryan Fikes, says the number of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nests have declined on average since 2010….

cut 12 (10)  “poor health”

The National Wildlife Federation report looked at how 20 types of wildlife are faring in the wake of the spill. Fikes says the exposure to oil has been shown to cause abnormal development in many species of fish and dolphins on the Louisiana coast were found dead at four times the historic rates in 2014.

cut 13 (06)  “deep water horizon”

Fikes says comprehensive modeling estimates that 12-percent of the brown pelicans and 32-percent of the laughing gulls in the northern gulf died as a result of the oil spill

cut 14 (09)  “laughing gulls”

A proposal to be sponsored by New Orleans Representative Walt Leger would use Gulf oil spill money for possible long-term financing for Louisiana colleges. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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An 8th grade student from Buckeye High School has started an online petition to change the uniform policy in Rapides Parish. Jeff Palermo reports…:

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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The state’s workforce commission says Louisiana set an employment record for the month of February. Scott Carwile has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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A proposal to be sponsored by New Orleans Representative Walt Leger would use Gulf oil spill money for possible long-term financing for Louisiana colleges. Leger feels a trust fund should be set up for colleges from recovery money received from the 2010 disaster…

cut 4  (07)  “for higher education”

The state is expected to receive billions of dollars from BP to pay for economic damage caused by the spill. Legislators have already dedicated the first $1 billion of that money. Leger’s proposal would target money above that. He says his proposal would fund higher education moving forward…

Cut 5  (08)  “funding in place”

The state Board of Regents have thrown their support behind Leger’s proposal. Leger says there is no time table on when the BP issue will be resolved, but is confident that the state will be successful…

Cut 6 (06)  “investing in our students”

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An 8th grade student from Buckeye High School in Deville has started an online petition to change the uniform policy in Rapides Parish. Currently they are essentially only allowed to wear navy or khaki bottoms and white collared shirts. 14-year-old Brandon Richardson feels the current dress code is far too restrictive…:

CUT 7 (05)  “still exists”

The change.org petition states that students should not be told what to wear everyday because they are not able to express themselves. School leaders assert the current policy exists so that students can be easily identified on field trips. But Richardson feels if everyone looks alike it could cause problems in crisis situations…:

Cut 8  (07)  “at that school” 

Others who support the dress code that’s in place say it puts all students on level playing fields, but Richardson says when it comes to clothing, bullying still exists with uniforms. He says they would like to see the policy changed to one more similar to Rapides’ current “out of uniform” day rules…:

Cut 9 (07)  “about what you wear”

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The state department of agriculture and forestry will put traps out to track the invasive asian bug called the Emerald Ash Borer. The beetle was discovered recently in Webster Parish and it kills ash trees. Commissioner Mike Strain says the traps will be placed in high risk areas along the interstate, welcome centers and the Mississippi River delta

Cut 10 (09) “emerald ash borer is”

Strain says the beetle, which is difficult to eradicate, is often transported into an area by infested firewood

cut 11 (07) “you buy it”

Strain says they want to keep this insect from attacking the thousands of Ash trees in the Atchafalaya Basin, the Mississippi River delta and urban areas as well. He says the traps are large, purple sticky boxes that hang from trees…

cut 12 (09)  “eradication”

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The Louisiana Workforce Commission says Louisiana private employers have added 26-thousand jobs over the year based on February employment numbers. The commission’s executive director Curt Eysink says this type of growth with the state’s labor force should continue

Cut 13 (10)  “past ten years”

The unemployment rate for February was six-point-seven percent but it’s the second straight month it has declined. Eysink says the unemployment rate rose in the second half of 2014 as the state saw a large increase in people looking for jobs

Cut 14 (05) “finding work”

Eysink credits the job growth to a growing chemical industry in Louisiana…

Cut 15  (10)  “and New Orleans”

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When the polls come out later today, it’s likely the LSU Tigers will no longer be ranked number one after a wild series to the Wildcats of Kenutcky. LSU could not hold on to a three-run lead in the eighth and ended up losing to Kentucky 12-10 in 11 innings yesterday. Shortstop Alex Bregman says LSU didn’t get a lot of baseball fortune during the three-game series

Cut 16  (19)  “best weekend”

LSU had a 10-9 lead in the ninth inning, but with two outs, Wildcasts pinch hitter Riley Mahan hit an inside the park home run, when left fielder Jared Foster dove for his liner, missed it and then shortstop Alex Bregman slipped and fell while retrieving the baseball. Coach Paul Mainieri

Cut 17 (13)  “kept running”

It’s the first weekend series the Tigers have lost this year as they fall to 5-and-4 in SEC play. Mainieri says they had a chance to win all three games, if not for some strange plays…

Cut 18 (20) ” 30 years’