Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is traveling the state to highlight different areas in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Today ULM students, alumni, and faculty are gathering on campus to email their state legislators about their concerns for the future of higher ed. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Governor Edwards is calling on a special task force for a list of ideas on how the state should handle a 600-million dollar revenue shortfall. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Lt. Governor Bill Nungesser is touring the state to promote tourism as part of National Tourism Week. Nungesser says he’ll be in in West Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and St. Francisville today and then head to the northern part of the state later in the week. He says he just returned from a week-long trip to Canada.

cut 4  (09)  “Cajun music”

Nungesser will be traveling around the state in a van that’s wrapped with the state’s tourism marketing campaign. He says in 2015 nearly 29-million people visited the state, which was a record, but…

Cut 5  (10)  “hit parishes”

Nungesser says with the oil industry down and recent budget cuts, Louisiana needs as much tax revenue from tourists as possible. He says that’s why it’s important for him to visit historic sites, visitor centers and local tourism officials this week.

Cut 6 (08)  “our people”

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ULM students are gathering on campus today to collectively voice their concerns for the future of higher education. Katherine Dawson, Online Program Coordinator for ULM, says students, faculty, alumni, and others will all email their state legislators between 11:45 am and 12:15 pm at an event called Mission: Maroon.

CUT 7 (11)  “our voice” 

The governor’s proposed budget calls for a 183-million dollar cut to TOPS and higher education would receive a six-percent cut in state funding. Dawson says the purpose is not to gripe at lawmakers but to speak up and be heard. She says unfortunately, one email from one person may not make much of a difference, but she hopes that hundreds of emails will.

Cut 8  (10)  “an impact” 

Dawson says they are encouraging people who cannot be on campus for this event to participate from home by emailing their legislators and posting photos wearing maroon to social media using their hashtags.

Cut 9 (07)  “maroon”

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The LSU AgCenter has developed an eye-drop to prevent and treat cataracts. AgCenter Department of Biological and Agriculture Engineering Professor Cristina Sabliov says they became interested in developing a solution because cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States. She says they found a way to use lutein to prevent the eye lens from becoming cloudy.

Cut 10 (07) “the eye”

Sabliov says lutein is currently prescribed as an oral treatment for cataracts and eye diseases, but she says LSU AgCenter researchers have developed a solution to drop it directly into your eyes.

cut 11 (09) “the eye”

 The AgCenter is working to patent the drop. Sabliov says they hope this new product will have the unique advantage for both being able to prevent cataracts before they start or to treat cataracts after they form.

cut 12 (08) “daily”

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Governor John Bel Edwards wants a list of budget reform recommendations in two weeks from a special task force. Some of the proposals will likely be presented to lawmakers during a special session in June to address a 600-million dollar shortfall.  Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin is on the task force and says lawmakers have already raised the state sales tax, so they are left with limited options to address the budget gap….

Cut 13 (10)  “you have”

Erwin says it’s key that any revenue raising measure that could be passed in a second special session doesn’t further hurt the state economy.

cut 14 (06)  “a structure”

Raising more revenue could help reduce cuts to vital state services. Erwin says they will be looking at corporate and personal income taxes to see if enough revenue can be raised by removing some exemptions and deductions.

Cut 15 (06) “bottom line”

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One of the Saints draft picks had a very interesting route to the NFL. Fourth round pick, defensive tackle David Onyemata, grew up in Nigeria and played college football at the University of Manitoba in Canada. New Orleans traded up to select the six-foot-four, 300-pounder and General Manager Mickey Loomis is glad they did…

Cut 16  (20)  “from him”

Loomis says while most football fans never heard of Onyemata, there were several clubs interested in Onyemata’s potential…

Cut 17 (20) “case at all

The Saints last selection was California running back Daniel Lasco, who New Orleans drafted in the 7th round. Loomis believes Lasco’s primary role will be on special teams…

Cut 18 (18) “as a running back”

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Officials with the USDA are investigating the series of recent deaths at the Baton Rouge Zoo. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests two people in connection with the double homicide investigation in a small Louisiana town. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (28)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

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State Police announces the arrest of a Lafayette man who was allegedly traveling 150 miles per hour before crashing his 2016 Chevrolet Corvette and killing one person. Trooper Brooks David says 31-year-old Martin Nguyen was at the wheel when his vehicle ran off the road on April 18^th on LA Highway 339 and it killed 30-year-old Hoang Nguyen of Lake Charles.

CUT 3 (05)  “that crash”

David says Martin Nguyen’s blood alcohol concentration was over the legal limit when the crash occurred.

CUT 4 (11)  “miles an hour”

David says Martin Nguyen was in the hospital being treated for injuries after the accident, but he has now been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, speeding, reckless operation, and improper lane usage.

CUT 5 (09)  “Nguyen”

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Investigators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are looking into the number of animal deaths that have recently occurred at the Baton Rouge Zoo. Curator Sam Winslow says they asked for the USDA and the American Zoo Association to send in officials to assess the situation after 18 animals have died in the last year…

CUT 6 (10) “our procedures”

Winslow says the 2-year-old Malayan tiger that died earlier in the month likely suffered from gastric dilation. He says her death was something you unfortunately can’t do anything about.

CUT 7 (09) “30 minutes”

Two giraffes also recently died at the zoo. Winslow says they were 24 and 30-years-old. He says the normal life expectancy for a giraffe is about 13 years.

CUT 8 (07) “certainly”

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Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany introduces legislation that he believes will help lead to better detection of tornadoes in south Louisiana. Boustany’s bill would require a Doppler weather radar site to be built near Baton Rouge. The US Representative says last February’s tornado outbreak inspired him to author of this federal legislation…

CUT 9 (10) “property damage”

There are detection sites near Slidell and Lake Charles, but none near Baton Rouge. Boustany says a new site will close the gap in radar coverage in Louisiana. He says he is looking into how much the radar site will cost, but he wanted to get the legislation introduced first.

cut 10 (08) “property damage”

There are also Doppler radars near Fort Polk and Shreveport. Boustany says a new radar detection site will ensure that Louisiana is better covered by weather radar to give citizens as much warning as possible to seek shelter or evacuate.

Cut 11 (09) “unacceptable”

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A Grand Isle man has been arrested for attempting to purchase a child for sexual purposes. That’s according to State Police trooper Jesse Lagrange who says 30-year-old Wade Perkins asked someone to locate a 6 to 8-year-old child so Perkins could pay for a sexual encounter. Lagrange says that person then contacted police.

cut 12 (09) “a meeting”

Lagrange says when Perkins met up with an undercover trooper, he was arrested for attempt and conspiracy to commit first-degree rape. Perkins is a registered sex offender in Michigan for criminal sexual conduct. Lagrange says they expect to file more charges against Perkins.

Cut 13 (07)  “like that”

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A Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Deputy left his job with the Medium-Security Facility to play professional minor league baseball after discovering he can throw a 91 mile-per-hour-fast ball. 26-year-old Randy Zeigler was a pitcher for LSU and caught the eye of a Chicago White Sox scout. Zeigler says he’ll be playing for the Lincoln Nebraska Saltdogs.

cut 14 (10)  “his purpose”

Zeigler says he was just messing around with a radar gun, when he discovered he was throwing at the same speed he was three years ago. He says he’s excited to play baseball, but he’ll miss being a deputy in his hometown.

cut 15 (10) “up in”

Lt. Billy Jones says he’s sad to lose such a dedicated employee, but is excited for Zeigler to do what he’s always had a passion for.

cut 16 (08) “his dream”

A Vermilion parish teacher is behind bars for three counts of rape. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Governor John Bel Edwards says priority number one for him right now is stabilizing the budget, because we must focus on moving Louisiana forward. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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According to a poll paid for by the Louisiana Cannabis Association, 72-percent of Louisiana voters are in favor of legalizing medical marijuana as a treatment for more diseases. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A Vermilion parish teacher is facing rape charges. Lt. David Hardy with the Abbeville Police Department says James Harber has been charged with two counts of second-degree rape and one count of first-degree rape. He says a search of Harber’s home indicates that more charges could be coming.

cut 4  (08)  “child pornography”

Police have shared their evidence with the Sheriff’s Office as well as the US Attorney’s office, in the hopes that they would seek an indictment. Hardy says child pornography was found on Harber’s home computer. He says they learned of the rape charges after interviewing the victims that were in the explicit pictures on Harber’s computer.

Cut 5  (07)  “Mr. Harber”

A Lafayette TV station reports that Harber was a 7^th grade teacher a J.H. Williams Middle School. Hardy says it is not clear if the victims attended the school where Harber taught, but he did know his victims.

Cut 6 (11)  “residence”

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Governor John Bel Edwards says priority number one for him right now is stabilizing the budget, because we must focus on moving Louisiana forward. He says the vision that he put forth when he was running for governor has not changed, but they have to work on filling the $600 million dollar gap for next fiscal year…:

CUT 7 (09)  “to do” 

Edwards says there are many policy related issues that are going to be on the back burner until we can deal with the present crisis…:

Cut 8  (09)  “and do that” 

Edwards says he remains very optimistic about his administration and the state as a whole. He says he doesn’t see any way they could avoid a second special session, but before he makes the call he’s going to wait for recommendations from a panel assigned to review the state budget…:

Cut 9 (09)  “the short term”

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A poll paid for by the Louisiana Cannabis Association finds that 72-percent of Louisiana voters support legalizing medical marijuana as a treatment for more diseases. Jesse McCormick is glad to see a majority of voters support the use of medical cannabis to help relieve pain for people who suffer from different diseases, like cancer and HIV

Cut 10 (07) “understand”

McCormick says 24 other states have already legalized medical cannabis. He says a majority of respondents are also in favor of taxing the prescription drug.

cut 11 (08) “eye-opening”

The telephone survey was conducted by Louisiana polling firm JMC Analytics and Polling. They surveyed six-hundred registered voters. McCormick says he understands that plenty of people will always oppose the legalization, but he hopes that this poll encourages more lawmakers to vote in favor of the legalization.

cut 12 (08) “huge win”

Legislators have been conflicted on whether or not to expand the list of diseases for which medical cannabis can be prescribed.

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The House has approved two more pro-life measures. One of the bills, authored by Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds, prohibits women from getting abortions just because a child will have a genetic disorder. Edmonds says his son was born with a disorder, and if he’d taken medical advice, he wouldn’t have his grandchildren today.

Cut 13 (10)  “blessed with”

Edmonds says life is hard, and women shouldn’t be able to abort their babies just because it would be easier.

cut 14 (06)  “no meaning”

Edmond’s bill passed 75-1. Another proposal by Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson would outlaw a procedure commonly used in second trimester abortions. Johnson calls these “dismemberment” abortions and says every year more than a thousand unborn children are aborted through this “barbaric” process.

Cut 15 (08) “ripped off”

Johnson’s bill was approved unanimously. Opponents of the measure say outlawing this procedure would force women to undergo invasive, unnecessary procedures or lose access to abortion services entirely. Both measure now head to the Senate.

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Tonight is rounds two and three of the NFL draft, and several former LSU Tigers are expected to be selected. NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier believes linebacker Deion Jones will go early in round two.

Cut 16  (13)  “in reverse”

Detillier also believes defensive back Jalen Mills will go in the second round, as well.

Cut 17 (18) “at DBU”

Detillier also believes four year starter Vadal Alexander will be a third round pick and could be a productive offensive guard in the NFL.

Cut 18 (21) “NFL”