The American Future Project has released a television ad in Iowa supporting Governor Bobby Jindal’s candidacy for president. Jeff Palermo reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson’s controversial religious freedom bill was debated for several hours before a House committee decided to put the measure back on the calendar, essentially killing the legislation for this session. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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Lynne Marino, an outspoken victims rights advocate and mother of a woman believed to have been murdered by a convicted serial killer, has died. She was 78. Marino’s daughter, Pam Kinamore, was one of several women likely slain by Derrick Todd Lee. On an appearance on the Jim Engster show earlier this year, Marino recalls her first remarks to Lee…:

CUT 3 (11)  “patrol car”

Marino appeared almost daily on radio and television newscasts after Kinamore disappeared in July 2002. She recently recalled the moment Lee was sentenced to die after being convicted of first degree murder in the death of Charlotte Murray Pace in 2004…:

CUT 4 (13)  “to use it”

Marino was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last August. She recalls the moment she was told about her condition…:

CUT 5 (10)  “to my daughter”

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After a lengthy debate over the controversial religious freedom bill by Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson, the House Civil Law Committee overwhelmingly votes to return the bill to the calendar, essentially killing the bill for the session. Johnson told the panel that his legislation is designed to protect business owners who make decisions based on their religious beliefs concerning gay marriage…

CUT 6 (09)  “conscience and religion”

But, opponents say this bill legalizes discrimination against the LGBT community. New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau President, Stephen Perry spoke against the measure. He says this bill gives Louisiana a black eye…

CUT 7 (11) “sanctioned bigotry”

Johnson says all his legislation is attempting to do is prohibit the state from taking action against a business or person for a decision made based on their religious beliefs on same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on gay marriage on June 18th. Johnson says every state, not just Louisiana, needs a bill like this passed now…

CUT 8 (11)  “5,000 years”

Perry says this legislation would have a devastating effect on the state’s economy as well as putting the state’s ability to host national sporting events in jeopardy. He says this bill goes against what the state’s tourism industry believes in…

CUT 9 (11)  “in the marketplace”

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A pro-Governor Bobby Jindal advocacy group has released a television ad in Iowa supporting his candidacy for president. The American Future Project says the ad will run on cable television in Iowa and online for one week. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says the ad is indicative of Jindal’s approach toward the Republican nomination and against the rest of the field…

cut 10 (09) “very evangelical”

This ad comes on the heels of the governor forming an exploratory committee for a run for the presidency. Stockley says hundreds of millions of dollars were spent in the last presidential election and is just the tip of the iceberg for Jindal…

cut 11 (12)  “in the newspaper”

The television ad positions Jindal as conservative Republican’s leading voice in the battle over religious freedom. At this point, Stockley feels the governor’s announcement isn’t speculation anymore, it’s just a matter of time…

cut 12 (05)  “that end”

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The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s office says a man who was once named Teacher of the Year, has been arrested on 30 counts of sex with students. Sheriff Brett Stassi says they got a complaint late Monday about 30-year-old Keavin Keith, who teaches at MSA-West Academy in Plaquemine…:

cut 13 (08)  “developed some charges”

Stassi says when they were investigating the original complaint, they ended up finding more student victims totaling three. He says they processed a laundry list of charges…:

cut 14 (09) “and a student”

Keith was recognized as teacher of the year in 2013. Stassi says since there are already three victims with several accusations against Keith, it’s possible there are more out there…:

cut 15 (10) “with this teacher”

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Governor Bobby Jindal has formed an exploratory committee in efforts to help him in deciding whether or not to make a presidential run in 2016. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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The state senate begins the process of approving House-approved bills that raise an estimated 615-million dollars in state revenues. Jeff Palermo has the story….

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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Flash Flood Watches and Warnings have been issued across north Louisiana as heavy rains have pounded the area throughout the morning. Jason Hansford with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says they’ve had reports in the Shreveport area of up to six inches of rain this morning…

CUT 3 (07)  “Bossier City areas”

There have been reports of flash flooding across north Louisiana this morning. In Ruston, police say an 11-year-old was killed when the car he was riding in was swept away by flood waters. Hansford says up to 5 inches of rain fell in the Monroe area this morning…

CUT 4 (06)  “Caldwell Parish”

He says the Caldwell Parish town of Columbia has reported in excess of seven inches of rain this morning and sandbagging operations have been put in place. Hansford says these rains could last into the afternoon and dump a significant amount of additional rain across north Louisiana…

CUT 5 (10)  “Columbia, Louisiana”

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Governor Bobby Jindal has formed an exploratory committee in efforts to help him in deciding whether or not to make a presidential run in 2016. Jindal has been considering a run for several months and has stated he will make a final decision by the end of June. Michael Henderson, Director of LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab, says this is not a surprising move…

CUT 6 (08)  “of the moments”

This is seen as a sign of how serious Jindal is about running for the GOP presidential nomination, despite the low numbers the governor has received in recent polls. Henderson says this exploratory committee will help Jindal gain financial support and get his name out there…

CUT 7 (11) “gain some momentum”

The exploratory committee has launched a website, BobbyJindal-dot-com, for supporters to receive updates on the governor’s efforts. Henderson says Jindal does not seem deterred by the lack of support the surveys indicate. He says it’s a little early too early in the process to place too much emphasis on poll numbers…

CUT 8 (10)  “the poll numbers”

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office arrests four including the ex-husband of a 54-year-old woman who has been missing since early April in an apparent murder for hire plot. Detectives believe 64-year-old Hamid Ghassemi hired a man who worked for him, 33-year-old Daniel Richter of Walker and two other associates, to kill Tahereh Ghassemi. State Police Col Mike Edmonson says the confessions were chilling…:

CUT 9 (06)  “no remorse”

Richter, 17-year-old Skyler Williams and 20-year-old Tyler Ashpaul, both of Denham Springs, are all charged with first-degree murder, second degree kidnapping and arson. Hamid Ghassemi is charged with principal to murder, kidnapping and arson and solicitation for murder. Apparently the three suspects who shot and killed the woman split $10,000 paid to them by Hamid Ghassemi for the murder of his ex-wife. Edmonson says this is pathetic…:

cut 10 (09) “a human body”

An autopsy revealed the victim died of a gunshot wound to the head. Detectives discovered Tahereh Ghassemi’s body Saturday buried in a heavily wooded area in St. Helena Parish. They say during questioning, Ashpaugh told detectives he went with Williams and Richter to the woman’s house where they put her in the trunk of her vehicle and transported her to the burial site. Edmonson commends law enforcement for bringing the family closure…:

cut 11 (09)  “her body”

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The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee approved a eleven tax bills that have also passed out of the House. The measures raise an estimated 615-million dollars to help stave off large cuts to public colleges and universities and the state’s health care system. Some of the bills reduce rebate and tax credit programs for businesses. Benton Senator Robert Adley on why they need this legislation to pass…

cut 12 (10)  “hospitals and universities”

All of the tax bills head to the Senate Finance Committee for more discussion. Many of them face heavy opposition from business lobbyist groups. Adley understands their concerns, but the legislature is trying to raise revenue to avoid major cuts to health care and higher ed

cut 13 (07)  “health care”

The senate panel also agreed to increase Louisiana’s cigarette tax by 32-cents, which means the state tax on a pack of cigs would be 68-cents. But New Orleans Senator JP Morrell indicated the proposed tax could go up even more as the bill moves through the legislative process

cut 14 (09) “final disposition”

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission begins a statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign today focusing on back seat passengers, pickup trucks, and low compliance areas. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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May is Foster Care Month which is why the Department of Children and Family Services is making an extra push to recruit foster families. Scott Carwile reports…:

Cut 2 (31) “reporting”

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17-year-old Koryn Hawthorne of Abbeville performs tonight in the finals of NBC’s “The Voice”. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 3 (27) “reporting”

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission begins a statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign today focusing on back seat passengers, pickup trucks, and low compliance areas. Their 2014 seat belt survey showed 84-percent of Louisiana motorists buckled up, the highest rate to date. Executive Director Lt. Col. John LeBlanc says this is a statewide campaign, but they will focus efforts in areas of the state where seat belt compliance is the lowest…

cut 4  (05)  “central Louisiana”

Seat belt compliance was lowest in the Alexandria area, 71-percent, followed by Monroe with a 75-percent seat belt use rate. LeBlanc says this campaign is designed to raise those rates as well as the compliance rate for back seat passengers. He says since the state expanded its seat belt law to cover back seat passengers in 2009, the compliance rate has doubled to 55-percent…

Cut 5  (06)  “about that law”

He attributes some of the noncompliance to a lack of awareness about the law for back seat passengers. The campaign, which runs through the end of the month, will also look to make sure those in pickup trucks are buckled up. LeBlanc says they provde extra funding for law enforcement to increase patrols through the campaign…

Cut 6 (09)  “rate goes up”

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The Department of Children and Family Services is recruiting Foster Families, especially those who can take larger sibling groups or children with special needs. DCFS Policy Advisor Kaaren Hebert says because of unsafe living conditions at home, they regularly have children who need a new place to stay. She says children enter foster care almost daily…:

CUT 7 (09)  “scheduling”

May is Foster Care Month which is why an extra push to recruit families is made. Hebert says this month, more than 4300 children will be served by Louisiana’s foster care system and just 2,000 certified foster homes are available. She says that’s a huge deficit for their agency…:

Cut 8  (09)  “older children” 

To find out more about becoming a foster parent, visit www.dcfs.la.gov/foster. Hebert says children do best in families and by having foster homes in all areas of the state, children in foster care can stay close to home and in the same school…:

Cut 9 (10)  “get to remain”

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17-year-old Koryn Hawthorne of Abbeville performs tonight in the finals of NBC’s “The Voice”. Since the start of the season, Hawthorne has impressed judges with her strong voice and commanding stage presence. Her principal at Lighthouse Christian School, Tiffany Spraggins, says the excitement on campus ranges from the youngest in class to the oldest adult

Cut 10 (10) “that night”

Hawthorne had to battle another contestant to advance last week and it was ultimately the Twitter vote that moved her into tonight’s finals. Spraggins says their students were showing teachers how to set up Twitter accounts so they could all vote for #TeamKoryn…:

cut 11 (09) “fun experience”

The show begins at 7pm. Spraggins says Koryn sings through the halls of the school all the time and it’s obvious that music is in her soul…:

cut 12 (11)   “the full record”

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The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee will discuss today the revenue generating bills that were approved by the House. The lower chamber passed 11 bills that would increase revenues by 615-million dollars. Jeremy Alford, with la-politics-dot-com, says Senate leadership wants to raise even more revenue to offset a one-point-six billion dollar budget gap

Cut 13 (10)  “control over”

The tax bills up for considerationin the Senate would reduce tax breaks businesses currently enjoy, there’s also legislation that scales back the film tax and solar tax credit programs. Alford says the senate will likely look at limiting even further those two programs, plus raising the cigarette tax to a higher amount already agreed upon by the House….

Cut 14 (09) “entire answer”

Alford says while the legislature is busy looking at ways to raise revenue, they also have to find a tax offset to satisfy Governor Bobby Jindal’s concerns about increased taxes. He says with less than a month to go in the session, there’s a lot of work ahead for lawmakers…

Cut 15  (11)  “totals”

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The Saints held a rookie minicamp over the weekend. A chance for the coaches to get a look at the players that were recently drafted or signed as free agents out of college. That includes third-round draft pick and quarterback Garrett Grayson. Coach Sean Payton says he was impressed with what he saw from Grayson

Cut 16  (13)  “really effective”

Grayson says running a pro style offense at Colorado State should help him learn the Saints playbook…

Cut 17 (15)  “for me”

Grayson says he’s looking forward to learning from starting quarterback Drew Brees…

Cut 18 (20) “a beat’