Gas prices are on the rise in the Bayou State. Don Redman with AAA says gas prices in June were the lowest we’ve seen all year, which is unusual for the summer months. He says we’re already seeing an uptick in prices at the pump…:
Cut 3 (09) “statewide”
Redman says that’s almost 10 cents higher than the prior year.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie has submitted his letter of retirement. It’s not a huge surprise as Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome had said since she took office that new leadership was needed at BRPD in the wake of the Alton Sterling shooting. She said Monday that Dabadie is an honorable man…:
Cut 6 (10) “to law enforcement”
Weston-Broome ran a campaign on the promise that she’d appoint a fresh face to the department that would help ease tensions between people and police officers.

As you might expect, a poll on the state Treasurer’s race shows the lack of a front-runner. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson…:
Cut 25 (07) “in Louisiana”
He says Louisiana may be small but we have a big impact.

Business Facilities names Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart the best workforce training program in the country. Jeff Palermo has more:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office says an arrest has been made in the fatal hit and run crash last night in Rayne. They say 42-year-old Ivy Roger had been charged with driving while intoxicated five times before, and he was booked after hitting a bicyclist and fleeing the scene of the crash. The victim, 61-year-old Ricky Joyner, died at the scene.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches the Quality Parenting Initiative, aimed at improving the foster care system. Assistant Director for Child Welfare Renda Hodnett says DCFS will expect more of foster parents…:
Cut 15 (10) “child’s future”
On any given day, there are more than 4,000 Louisiana children in foster care.

A professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says it’s never a good idea to carry your cell phone to the bathroom. Dr. James Diaz says fecal oral transmission to inanimate objects occurs when individuals don’t wash their hands after leaving the bathroom…:
Cut 8 (09) “by touch”
Diaz suggests using an antiseptic to clean your phone screen on a regular basis.

As you might expect, a poll on the state Treasurer’s race shows the lack of a front-runner….:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Police in New Orleans say one of their officers who was off-duty but working a private-paid detail at the time, was shot in the leg around 1am. NOPD believe at least one person, possibly a juvenile, fired the shot into the officers car where he was sitting, then fled the scene. The injured policeman was listed in good condition at University Medical Center.

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson says the state is also in an incredible position when it comes to job growth…:
Cut 6 (11) “of our state”
Business Facilities also ranked Louisiana third for infrastructure, seventh for cost of doing business, ninth for exports and economic growth potential, and tenth for industrial electricity rates.

Experts say it’s a bad idea to bring your cell phone with you to the bathroom, and the reason is gross. Dr. James Diaz with LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says there’s risk that fecal matter could get on the phone because some people don’t wash their hands, and there’s always the chance it would fall into the toilet…:
Cut 9 (09) “like cholera”

A poll on the State Treasurer’s race finds it to be a wide open contest. The October 14th election features three well-funded Republicans, Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. There is a major Democrat in the race, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says in the horse race portion of his survey, Edwards polled at 18-percent, which is higher than the three GOP candidates…:
Cut 12 (10) “make the runoff”
60 percent of voters are undecided.

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson say we may be small but we’re standing out in a big way…:
Cut 5 (12) “Louisiana Economic Development”

An LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health Professor warns smart phones carry more bacteria than the bathroom. Emelie Gunn has more…”
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Monroe chef Cory Bahr was eliminated last night on the 8th episode of Food Network Star. It ultimately came down to a challenge in which the contestants had to engage with a live stream while cooking, and Bahr struggled to do both at the same time. There will be no watch party on July 30 at Flying Tiger Brewery in Monroe.

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson…:
Cut 4 (07) “in Louisiana”
Pierson says per capita, Louisiana attracts more jobs and major projects than any other state.

It’s anyone’s race in the October 14th State Treasurer’s election, according to a new survey by JMC Analytics pollster John Counvillon. There are three well-funded Republicans going for the job; Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. Couvillon says the biggest number from his poll is the undecided, which is at 60-percent…:
Cut 11 (12) “they were”
There is a major Democrat in the race, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards who polled at 18-percent.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches a program aimed at improving the foster care system. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says it’s the new Quality Parenting Initiative that means foster parents do everything for a child that a birth parent would do…:
Cut 14 (12) “all the time”
Walters says this initiative is about allowing foster parents to act more as parents instead of temporary caregivers.

A professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says it’s never a good idea to carry your cell phone to the bathroom. Dr. James Diaz says what gets spread to our phones can get on a lot of other things we touch…:
Cut 7 (10) “your hands”
He says a smart phone can contain more bacteria than the bathroom itself.

Business Facilities names Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart the best workforce training program in the country. Jeff Palermo has more:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A poll on the October State Treasurer’s race finds it to be a wide open contest among well-funded Republicans Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. The survey was done by John Couvillon with JMC Analytics:
Cut 10 (06) “front runner status”
He says he found 60 percent of voters are undecided.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches a program aimed at improving the foster care system. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they want to raise expectations for foster parents and caregivers through the new Quality Parenting Initiative…:
Cut 13 (11) “a relative”
On any given day, there are more than 4,000 Louisiana children in foster care.

Cops have identified the 61-year-old Livingston Parish man who was found dead Sunday near Walker. They say Rick McBride appears to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and officials are still trying to determine what happened, and who is responsible.

Data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows Louisiana has added nearly 21-thousand jobs since June 2016 and the unemployment rate is down to a three-year low. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Ava Dejoie says Lake Charles continues to be the fastest growing job market with an increase in 55-hundred jobs over the last year.

Cut 16 (07) “region”

Baton Rouge, Monroe and New Orleans also saw job gains over the last year.

The US has reached an agreement with China that will allow Louisiana and other states to export rice to China for the first time. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain expects Louisiana farmers will benefit from the new trade agreement.

Cut 8 (07) “good news”

Mentally ill inmates at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer claim they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Multiple agencies are investigating a fire in St. Tammany Parish in which a woman’s body was discovered. It was initially believed Nanette Krentel died in the fire, but autopsy shows she actually died of a gunshot wound. The investigation by both the sheriff’s office and the state fire marshal’s office is heating up, as Krentel is the wife of the local fire chief.

The Advocacy Center is trying to get to the bottom of claims that some Louisiana inmates are being forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann with the McArthur Justice Center says they are concerned about conditions at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer based on letters they received from inmates.

Cut 3 (12) “suicide watch”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a statement.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three year low, according to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission Ava Dejoie says the Houma area gained 600 jobs from May, and Lafayette has added jobs in four out of the six months.

Cut 15 (06) “some increases”

More than two thousand soldiers from Fort Polk will complete anti-terrorism operations during a deployment to Iraq this fall. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says 60 percent of the base will deploy, leaving less than two thousand men and women of the combat team on the base.

Cut 11 (06) “here anyway”

A new trade agreement will allow Louisiana to export rice to China for the first time ever. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it took a while for the agreement to be finalized because of safety protocols.

Cut 7 (09) “product”

The US Department of Agriculture predicts China will import 5 million tons of rice in 2017 and 2018.