A new Advocate/WWL-TV poll shows Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republicans Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne each defeating Republican David Vitter in a potential runoff in Louisiana’s governor’s race. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (26)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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The state Department of Revenue announce the 50th arrest under a statewide crack down on tax fraud. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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A new Advocate/WWL-TV poll shows Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republicans Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne each defeating Republican David Vitter in a potential runoff in Louisiana’s governor’s race. The survey, conducted by Clarus Research Group, shows Edwards and Vitter tied at 24-percent heading into the primary. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says this is bad news for the Senator who was polling at 38-percent this spring…

CUT 3 (10)  “a runoff”

The poll shows Angelle and Dardenne with 15-percent and 14-percent respectively. Dubos says the spring polls were largely based on name recognition, but now voters are taking notice of the gubernatorial candidates…

CUT 4 (10)  “large numbers”

The poll shows Vitter losing to Edwards in a potential runoff by four points, Angelle by five points, and Dardenne by seven points. Dubos says this survey doesn’t mean that Vitter won’t make the runoff, but he will be an underdog if he does. He says this poll does bring up an interesting question…

CUT 5 (08) “the runoff”

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The State Fire Marshal’s Office believes the fatal fire in Eunice where a mother and her two children died, was the result of a murder-suicide. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says they are still working to determine the cause of the early Sunday morning massive blaze…:

CUT 6 (08) “to this fire”

Browning says Eunice cops and fire investigators are working to determine how the blaze was started and what might have happened…:

CUT 7 (07)  “it is suspicious”

Authorities have identified the mother as 39-year-old Carla Watford. They believe she shot her two children, 16 year old Julia Watford and 9-year-old Layla Watford before starting the fire then turning the gun on herself. Browning says autopsies on the three are planned…:

CUT 8 (07)  “cause of death” 

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The Bayou State is ranked among the top states in the country where Hispanics have adapted to the American mainstream. The WalletHub study ranks Louisiana fourth for all states for Hispanic assimilation. Manny Blanco, President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, says Louisiana’s Hispanic population is a varied group…

CUT 9 (07)  “and Mexico”

The study ranked states on Cultural & Civic, Education, and Economic assimilation. Blanco says the state’s Hispanic unemployment and poverty rates are concerning…

cut 10 (09)  “accomplish that”

The state’s “Veteran Status for Hispanics” is 10th in the country, which Blanco says is a source of pride within the community. He has high hopes for the future of the Hispanic community in Louisiana…

Cut 11 (10)  “our communities”

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The state Department of Revenue announce the 50th arrest under a statewide crack down on tax fraud. Joyce Gaines of Harvey, owner of Tax Town, is accused of filing false income tax returns for hundreds of clients. Barry Kelly, Director of Criminal Investigations, says teaming up with the Attorney General’s Office is a key to the success of the crack down…

cut 12 (07)  “to do alone”

Gaines, along with two of her employees, are charged with filing or maintaining false public records and illegal transmission of monetary funds. Kelly says this type of tax fraud case is not unusual…

cut 13 (09)  “don’t even own”

Gaines’ scheme resulted in more than $250,000 in fraudulent state income tax refunds. LDR has saved tax payers more than $50 million through various anti-fraud programs since 2014. Kelly says this is a reminder for residents to do some research and be careful about who they select to prepare their taxes…

cut 14 (08)  “are bound to”

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The Baton Rouge Press Club has canceled their Attorney General forum after incumbent Buddy Caldwell dropped from the event. Emelie Gunn has more….

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The Center for Louisiana Studies is holding a Gun Violence Symposium in Lafayette today to discuss what they call one of the biggest problems in our state. Michelle Southern reports…:

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John’s Boehner resignation as US House Speaker gives Metairie Congressman Steve Scalise a chance to improve his leadership role in the House. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The Baton Rouge Press Club was set to host a forum today involving the major candidates in the Attorney General’s race but Republican Incumbent Buddy Caldwell canceled on the event. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it doesn’t serve Caldwell any good to debate Republican candidates Jeff Landry and Marty Maley.

cut 4  (06)  “the advantage”

Pinsonat says out of all the major candidates, Landry has the most money on hand with 1.4 million dollars in the bank. He says Caldwell follows Landry with 1.2 million dollars and Maley only has a few thousand dollars…

Cut 5  (08)  “great race”

In 2011, Caldwell switched parties. Pinsonat says in order for the Madison Parish resident to be reelected, he’ll need votes from democrats because Landry has the conservative vote locked up.

Cut 6 (10)  “black turnout”

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The Center for Louisiana Studies is holding a Gun Violence Symposium in Lafayette today to discuss what they call one of the biggest problems in our state. CLS Director Michael Martin says the day long program features scholars from universities and colleges across Louisiana who study gun violence in a variety of ways:

CUT 7 (11)  “human rights issue”

The event is open to the community and is being held at the UL-Lafayette Alumni Center. Martin says in the wake of the Lafayette movie theater shooting and other incidents around the country, they feel the topic of gun control needs to be discussed no matter which side of the debate you’re on…:

Cut 8  (09)  “might be addressed” 

Martin says the nice thing about having speakers in to bring varying perspectives, is that they all come to the table with certain ideas about what might work in this situation. He says they all may even have completely opposing view points, but the goal is to frame reasonable discussions…:

Cut 9 (07) “next steps” 

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House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to resign from the top post in the US House provides an opportunity for Metairie Congressman and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise to move up to a higher leadership position. LSU political science professor Robert Hogan says Scalise has a chance to be majority leader…

Cut 10 (10) “republican party”

Scalise came under scrutiny about nine months ago when it was learned that he spoke to a group connected with former KKK leader David Duke back in 2002. Hogan says the Congressman took steps to quiet down the controversy, but that speech could still hurt his chances

cut 11 (07) “to see”

Hogan says if Scalise becomes House majority leader that would mean good things for Louisiana

Cut 12 (06) “doesn’t matter”

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LSU’s Leonard Fournette had another 200-yard plus performance on Saturday to help the Tigers beat Syracuse 34-24. The Heisman Trophy candidate rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns against the Orange, becoming the first player in LSU school history to have consecutive 200-yard efforts. Fournette’s longest run came on a 62-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He gives credit to his fullback…

Cut 13 (07)  “what I did”

Syracuse was keyed up to slow down Fournette, but he still put up big numbers. After the game, he gave credit to the Orange defense for making it a hard fought day….

Cut 14 (11) “this game”

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Fournette was not the only college football running back from Louisiana. Bulldogs running back Kenneth Dixon had three touchdowns to help La Tech defeat FIU 27-17. Dixon says it was good to get a win after two straight losses…

Cut 15  (18)  “and defense”

Dixon now has 68 touchdowns, which is sixth most in college football history. He finished with 169 yards against FIU, his 20th career 100 yard rushing performance. But Dixon says he’s not focused on individual accomplishments…

Cut 16  (09)  “you know”

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The Saints are still winless after losing to Carolina 28-22. The Saints defense could not contain Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Newton also had a rushing touchdown. Saints quarterback Luke McCown says the players will not give up, despite an 0-and-3 start.

Cut 17 (11) “we face” 

McCown played well for the injured Drew Brees as he threw for 310 passes. He was intercepted once and that came in the fourth quarter on a great play by Carolina defensive back Josh Norman. McCown says Brees was a big help on the sidelines.

Cut 18 (15) “as teammates”

The latest campaign finance numbers in the Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican David Vitter still has the most cash on hand with $4 million. Eric Gill has more…

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The historic O-K Allen Bridge will be demolished this Saturday. Emelie Gunn has more on why…

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The latest campaign finance numbers in the Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican David Vitter still has the most cash on hand with $4 million. Republican Jay Dardenne reports $1.6 million, Democrat John Bel Edwards has $1.4 million, and Republican Scott Angelle has about $1 million. LaPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says, when you throw in cash from a pro-Vitter Super PAC, the senator has over $7 million available…

CUT 3 (09)  “to compete”

He says Super PAC money matters quite a bit as we enter the final four weeks of the campaign. Alford says, although Vitter dwarfs his competitors in the amount of cash on hand, it doesn’t mean they can’t compete…

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Alford says Edwards raised the most money of any candidate in the last quarter. He says Vitter wants to face Edwards in the runoff, since no Democrat has won a statewide office in Louisiana in seven years. Alford says this does pose an intriguing question…

CUT 5 (07) “finance report”

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A significant piece of central Louisiana’s history will be removed with the demolition of the O-K Allen Bridge on Saturday. The new Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge is currently being built right next to the old one and will be closed to traffic during the destruction. D-O-T-D Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says….

CUT 6 (09) “to this”

Mallett says the O-K Allen Bridge, which has connected Alexandria to Pineville, has been in place for almost 80 year but its usefulness has come and gone. He says once motorists get used to all the perks of the using the Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge, they’ll be thankful.

CUT 7 (11)  “awful quick”

Mallett says the northbound side of the Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge is now open two ways until the southbound portion is completed. He says this bridge will help to fix many current traffic problems.

CUT 8 (07)  “as well” 

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Ohio Republican Congressman John Boehner has announced he will step down as Speaker of the House and resign his US House seat at the end of October. It’s reported that the announcement came after intense pressure from conservative Republicans for him to take a harder line on their causes. Minden Representative John Fleming feels Boehner made the appropriate decision…

CUT 9 (11)  “fresh ideas”

He says there’s been a ground swell among the GOP base that Boehner’s leadership in the House has not been effective. Fleming says he’ll keep an open mind on the selection of the next Speaker, but will be looking for certain traits…

cut 10 (08)  “in the past”

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves appreciates the public service Boehner’s given over the past several years but feels a change in leadership is needed. He says voters clearly stated in last November’s election that they want change…

Cut 11 (09)  “didn’t see it”

He says, moving forward, they need to look for the best new leadership for the future and one that will be responsive to what voters want. Graves says with some big issues facing Louisiana, it’s important that we have a strong position on the new House leadership team…

cut 12 (06)  “shot for us”

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With more than 7-thousand LSU fans in upstate New York this weekend for the game, some are worried Syracuse might not have enough beer to accommodate The Tigers. Visit Syracuse Communications Manager Nikita Jankowski says they’ve partnered with Visit Baton Rouge to enhance LSU fan’s experience in the college town.

cut 13 (10)  “get here”

Jankowski seriously doubts they’ll run out of beer because they’re now one of the biggest craft breweries towns in the country. She says the people of Syracuse love their beer, just like Louisianans.

cut 14 (09)  “one here”

Jankowski says Syracuse is home to a variety of wineries, cideraries and breweries, as well as, some great shopping, with the biggest mall in the state. She says the entire town is excited to have LSU as guests and the people are eager to show off their region.

cut 15 (09) “you guys” 

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Saints Quarterback Drew Brees’ banged up throwing shoulder will not allow him to play Sunday against Carolina. Its the first time in Brees’ 15-year career that he’ll miss a game due to injury. Luke McCown will get the start and he says if he follows the game plan, they should be able to score some points…

cut 16 (11) “for you” 

McCown has been taking the reps with the first-team offense as Brees has watched during practice this week. The former Louisiana Tech standout has studied the game tape and he’s ready for the challenge of facing the Panthers…

cut 17 (11) “give you fits”