The Red River continues to cause flooding problems in the Shreveport area. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

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The state senate approves legislation that prohibits State Police from using its own funds to provide security when Governor Bobby Jindal travels for campaign purposes. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Officials with the National Weather Service say the Red River in Shreveport reached its crest, within an inch, this morning. Hydrologist C.S. Ross says the river was at 36.82 feet as of 8AM this morning. Ross says there is major flooding happening in the Caddo/Bossier area…

CUT 3 (07)  “backwater flooding”

He says the rising waters in the Red River is causing backwater flooding along tributaries in the area. Ross says the flooding in the Shreveport area is just the beginning…

CUT 4 (11)  “through next weekend”

This crest of the Red River in Shreveport is the highest since 1945. Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says there are about 300 homes in Caddo Parish have been affected by flood waters…

CUT 5 (08)  “reach a home”

One of the homes that is flooded is the home of Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prater. She says about 30 roads are closed in the area due to flood waters. Chadwick says officials will continue their efforts to keep flood damage to a minimum…

CUT 6 (11)  “things like that”

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The LSU Tiger Baseball team is headed to Omaha to play in the College World Series for the 17th time and the first since 2013. The Tigers defeated UL-Lafayette on Sunday 6-3. After the game, Coach Paul Mainieri told the media that he got an email from the best friend of Lance Bergeron, one of the National Guardsmen who lost his life in the Blackhawk helicopter crash…:

CUT 7 (13) “perspective for me”

Mainieri says he wasn’t nervous at all about the game and that he told the players to forget about what the stakes are, and just go out there and play and have fun. He says thinking about the crash which claimed the lives of 4 Guardsmen and 7 Marines made him view the game in a different light…:

CUT 8 (09)  “irrelevant”

Mainieri says he mentioned to Athletic Director Joe Alleva that they’ve won 52 games this season but if they hadn’t won that 53rd game, the season would have felt unfulfilled in so many ways…:

CUT 9 (11)  “that’s where we belong”

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A state Senator tried to amend the controversial higher ecucation tax credit by renaming it the DUMB fund. Ville Platte Senator Eric LaFleur wanted to change the name of the SAVE act, which Governor Jindal is pushing in order to have a revenue neutral budget. LaFleur says the amendment is strictly technical and only describes the bill for what it is…

cut 10 (11) “the word ‘DUMB'” 

LaFleur’s amendment would change SAVE, “Students Assessment for a Valuable Education”, with DUMB, “Don’t Understand the Meaning of Bill”. Many lawmakers are not supportive of the SAVE act which they say is a budget gimmick and LaFleur’s amendment is evidence of legislators frustrations. SAVE act author, Mandeville Senator Jack Donahue, was not amused…

cut 11 (10)  “against it”

LaFleur did withdraw the amendment saying he proposed it with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. However, LaFleur says he will not vote for this piece of legislation…

cut 12 (09)  “behind the truth”

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The state senate approves legislation that  prohibits State Police from paying trooper security costs when Governor Bobby Jindal travels for campaign purposes. The head of the state democratic party, New Orleans Senator Karen Peterson, says State Police has spent over two-million dollars this year for Jindal’s trips…

cut 13 (10)  “that money”

Peterson’s amendment passed on a 29-5 vote. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny voted against it, because he doesn’t think the legislation will change anything, because a governor can always say they were attending to state business, even when traveling out of Louisiana

cut 14 (05) “circumvent it”

Peterson, who is a vocal critic of the Jindal administration, says during these tough budget times, State Police should not be using it’s own resources to support a governor’s presidential campaign

cut 15 (08) “state funds”

The Louisiana Legislature is on its way to sending marijuana reform proposals to Governor Bobby Jindal who gives every indication he will sign them. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

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The legislative session ends Thursday and state capitol observers say it’s difficult to say what will happen with the budget. Scott Carwile has more…

Cut 2 (31) “reporting”

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LSU defeated in-state rival UL Lafayette to punch their ticket to the College World Series. Jeff Palermo has more from Alex Box Stadium…

Cut 3 (27) “Palermo”

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The Louisiana Legislature is on its way to sending marijuana reform proposals to Governor Bobby Jindal who gives every indication he will sign them. One bill drastically reduces the penalties for pot possession under 14 grams and another allows for the dispensing of medical marijuana. Kevin Caldwell with Common Sense Nola is pleased..:

cut 4  (08)  “this year”

Caldwell says he is pleased that the Sheriff’s Association and the DA’s were willing to at least talk about meeting halfway this session unlike in years past. He says the sentence reduction bills are very progressive…:

Cut 5  (10)  “great step”

Caldwell says he’s glad there will finally be a way people who take chemo, have cerebral palsy or glaucoma will be able to get edible or oil forms of marijuana…:

Cut 6 (10)  “dealt with”

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The Louisiana House could vote on a resolution to hold a veto override session. Governor Jindal said he’ll veto revenue generating bills, if the legislature doesn’t pass a tax offset, so he can keep his “no tax” pledge. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris, chairs the House Republican Legislative Delegation, and he says there’s a desire in the House for an override session, if it gets to that point

CUT 7 (12)  “comes up”

Lawmakers have until 6 PM on Thursday to finish their legislative work and that includes approving a balanced budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1st. Harris it’s his hope lawmakers will not need to call for an override veto session

Cut 8  (10)  “next session” 

So far house members have yet to support a higher education tax credit that is needed to provide the offset Jindal needs to sign the hundreds of million of dollars in tax measures the legislature is poised to approve. Harris says legislators are hoping a budget solution  can be found…

Cut 9 (10)  “this session”

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With a few days left in the legislative session, it looks like Louisiana businesses are the big losers. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says business lobbyist groups are not happy the legislature is pushing to reduce hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits and rebates many companies enjoy

Cut 10 (11) “from them”

Legislators are tyring to close a one-point-six billion dollar shortfall in order to pass a budget that doesn’t dramatically cut funding for higher education and health care. Pinsonat says the scaling back of tax exemptions for businesses was how much of the money was raised, which upsets the business community

cut 11 (08) “raging battle”

Pinsonat says legislators who voted to take away some of the tax exemptions from businesses, will not get the endorsement of the Louisiana Association of Business Industry in the fall election

cut 12 (10)   “or experience”

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The state Senate voted to increase the cigarette tax by 72 cents which would bring it up to $1.08 and match the Southern regional average. Lawmakers are trying to raise revenue to plug the budget hole and prevent massive cuts to higher ed and health care. New Orleans Senator JP Morrell authored the amendment to raise the tax higher than the House approved 32 cent cigarette tax increase…:

Cut 13 (09)  “appropriate”

It’s not likely the lower chamber will go along with what the Senate approved. Gonzales Senator Jody Amedee voted against Morrell’s amendment…:

Cut 14 (10) “raise taxes”

The session ends Thursday. The bill is by Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie and was carried in the Upper Chamber by Bogolusa Senator Ben Nevers who says not only would this tax raise revenue, it would also go towards making Louisiana citizens healthier…:

Cut 15  (08)  “help them quit”

The LSU Tigers are headed back to the College World Series as they defeated UL Lafayette six to three to clinch a Super Regional series victory over the Ragin Cajuns. Alex Bregman’s two-run single in the 8th inning, in what was his final at-bat in Alex Box Stadium, was the key hit in the ballgame…

Cut 16  (16)  “any other way”

Jared Poche was the winning pitcher for LSU as he allowed one run in 7.2 innings pitched. Gunner Leger suffered the loss for the Cajuns, but Coach Tony Robichaux is proud of his freshman from Lake Charles

Cut 17 (13) ” opportunity tonight” 

The Ragin Cajuns season ends with a record of 42-23. Robichaux says it was a great ride to take a young team almost to Omaha

Cut 18 (10) “proud of em”‘

This is LSU’s 17th trip to the College World Series and first since 2013. Bregman says the Tigers can’t wait…

Cut 19 (07)  “on a mission”

Tickets to the LSU/UL-Lafayette Super Regional games this weekend are going for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. Jeff Palermo reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The latest forecast of the Red River has it now cresting in the Shreveport area at its highest level in 70 years. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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College Baseball fans in Louisiana are going nuts for tickets to the LSU/UL-Lafayette Super Regional this weekend at The Box. Seats are going for hundreds of dollars on secondary markets. Stubhub.com spokeswoman Allison Salcedo (Sal-Say-Doe) says the average price for Games 1 and 2 are around $195 which is huge for college baseball…:

CUT 3 (06)  “the matchup”

Standing room only tickets for the matchup went on sale Friday morning at 8am and were all gone in 5 minutes. They were $30 and included passes to all three games with each buyer able to get up to four tickets. Salcedo says you’ll have to dish out more than that for a series pass on their site…:

CUT 4 (03)  “$340”

A spokesman for LSU says this is one of the toughest tickets to get for a home event in the school’s history. Salcedo says typically the closer you get to first pitch the lower the price of the tickets go…:

CUT 5 (04)  “better deal”

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The latest forecast of the Red River has it now cresting in the Shreveport area at 36.5 feet on Sunday evening. Mike Steele, with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, says, at this point, only a handful of properties have taken in water and they hope the situation doesn’t get worse…

CUT 6 (11)  “bigger problems develop”

The projected crest in the Shreveport area would be the highest crest of the Red River in 70 years. Steele says equipment and approximately 175,000 sandbags have been delivered to the Shreveport area and officials are constantly monitoring conditions…

CUT 7 (10) “ready to roll”

He says areas in northwest Louisiana are currently in major flood stage, while the Alexandria area is in minor flood stage. Steele says people need to stay aware of what’s going on and gather emergency supplies in case you are forced to evacuate…

CUT 8 (09)  “and your family”

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Willie “Dynamite” Larkin is the new president at Grambling State University. The University of Louisiana system Board selected Larkin over Gilbert Rochon and three other candidates who were interviewed on Grambling’s campus this week. Larkin says the difficult selection process should benefit him when he takes over as Grambling’s president on July 1st….

CUT 9 (10)  “few months”

UL System president Sandra Woodley calls Larkin a strong leader who will move Grambling to the next level. During the selection process, Larkin was interviewed by faculty and staff and “Dynamite,” who is also a motivational speaker, scored well with those two groups

cut 10 (11) “hard at all” 

Larkin is currently the chief of staff in the Office of the President at Morgan State University. He says he’ll be a busy man leading up to his July first start date at Grambling

cut 11 (10)  “as well”

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Baton Rouge Food Blogger and lover of Louisiana cuisine, Jay Ducote, is competing on Season 11 of Food Network Star which premieres this Sunday. The hit reality competition show awards the winner with their own series on the Food Network. Ducote, who has also appeared on MasterChef and Cutthroat Kitchen, says being one of the 12 finalists on Food Network Star is a dream come true…:

cut 12 (10)  “Food Network Star”

Ducote boasts his love of eating and drinking for a living while celebrating culinary culture around Louisiana and everywhere he travels. He says although he didn’t attend culinary school, he learned to cook throwing LSU tailgate parties…:

cut 13 (13)  “for LSU football”

The premiere Sunday will air at 8pm and a huge viewing party with Ducote is being held in Downtown Baton Rouge. Ducote couldn’t say much about what happens this season, but he can say that this first episode on Sunday will be the true first time all the contestants walk into the kitchen and meet each other. He says they introduce themselves first:

cut 14 (12) “Food Network fans”

The Louisiana National Guard says pilot error was the cause of the Black Hawk Helicopter crash which claimed the lives of four guardsman and 7 Marines in March. Michelle Southern reports..:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The rising waters of the Red River are causing some Caddo and Bossier Parish residents to be driven from their homes. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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The Louisiana National Guard says an investigation has determined the cause of the Black Hawk Helicopter crash which claimed the lives of four guardsman and 7 Marines in March was pilot error. Col Pete Schneider with LANG says spatial disorientation of both pilots caused them to lose control of the aircraft…:

CUT 3 (10)  “off of instruments”

Schneider says the thorough investigation was conducted jointly by LANG and US Special Operations Command. He says the spatial disorientation was due to the pilots failing to transition from visual flight procedures to instrument flight as a thick sea of fog rolled into the training area…:

CUT 4 (07)  “of the accident”

The accident occurred during a joint training mission. He says an 30% of all aviation accidents are caused by spatial disorientation and an important result of this investigation is to let everyone know what happened…:

CUT 5 (07)  “can be prevented again”

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The rising waters of the Red River are causing some Caddo and Bossier Parish residents to be driven from their homes. Floodwaters are approaching some neighborhoods and those residents are being encouraged to evacuate. Marty Mayeaux, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says the river is continuing to swell…

CUT 6 (07)  “Saturday evening”

The Red is now predicted to crest at 35.5 feet Saturday afternoon, possibly into Saturday evening. That will put the river at five-and-a-half feet over flood stage. Mayeaux says waters are now beginning to affect areas in Shreveport, itself…

CUT 7 (08) “entire area”

As of Thursday morning, the Red River was at 33.9 feet. NWS says this is the first time the river has reached flood stage in Shreveport in 25 years. Mayeaux says this flood event is something that should not be taken lightly…

CUT 8 (07)  “definitely significant”

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Officials with the “Hollywood South” movie industry are apprehensive about changes made by the Senate Finance Committee to a bill that reforms the film tax credit program. The committee lowered the cap for film tax credits from $200 million to $180 million. Louisiana film industry consultant, Sherri McConnell, says this causes concern about projects already in the pipeline, as well as the future growth of the industry…

CUT 9 (09)  “increased production”

She says a lowered tax credit cap will limit the ability for increased film production in the state. Lafayette Representative Joel Robideaux’s bill also featured a provision that would provide incentives to build an indigenous film industry in Louisiana. McConnell says that part of the measure was completely gutted…

cut 10 (11) “pay taxes here” 

McConnell says, at this point, this is not a very promising piece of legislation for the film industry on many levels. She says this bill was designed to grow Louisiana businesses and put Louisiana residents to work. McConnell says if lawmakers gain a better grasp of the measure’s intent, they will do the right thing…

cut 11 (07)  “more positive posture”

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The full House approves legislation that sets up rules and regulations for the dispensing of medical marijuana in Louisiana. New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno says under the proposed law, a patient who suffers from glaucoma, cancer or cerebral palsy will have the option of using medicinal marijuana in a pill form…

cut 12 (08)  “and need it”

The bill by state senator Fred Mills establishes where the medical marijuana will be dispensed and where it will be grown and who will handle the production of the medicine. But Leesville Representative James Armes expressed skeptism about the legislation…

cut 13 (08)  “enough”

Moreno added some more amendments to the bill, in an attempt to calm fears that the growing of medicial marijuana in Louisiana could lead to criminal activity or corruption. She made the case to the rest of the House that the bill has tight controls on it and it will be very beneficial…

cut 14 (10) “the option”

The vote was 70-29, Livingston Representative Sherman Mack voted against it, because he believes this legislation will open the door to Louisiana legalizing recreational marijuana…

cut 15 (10) “you’re doing”