Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year-low at 5.5 percent. Don Molino has more on the latest jobs report…

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For the first time ever a trade agreement will allow Louisiana to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says this is a huge achievement for the industry.

Cut (06) “13 days”

Baton Rouge drivers who use the Old Mississippi River Bridge will have to find an alternate route this weekend as the bridge and US 190 are closed until Monday morning at 8. Rodney Mallet with DOTD says they’re doing what they can to keep delays minimal.

Cut 13 (09) “avoid the area”

For up to date travel information, visit 511la.org.

Twenty-one-hundred soldiers at Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq this fall for anti-terrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says they are committed to providing support to the families of the deployed soldiers. She says Fort Polk provides these families with the services they need while their loved ones are deployed.

Cut 10 (10) “support group”

The Advocacy Center has filed a lawsuit to gain access to inmates at David Wade Correctional Center after prisoners claimed they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzman with the McArthur Justice Center says it’s their job to investigate claims of abuse.

Cut 4 (11) “of that prison”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a statement.

An investigation is heating up in St. Tammany Parish, as an autopsy shows a Lacombe woman was actually not killed in a house fire. The coroner says Nanette Krentel was fatally shot before the home was set on fire. The sheriff’s office and the state fire marshal’s office are investigating the incident, as Krentel is the wife of the local fire chief.

US 190 at the Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge is closed all weekend as crews work to repair the railroad track there. Rodney Mallet with the state department of transportation says the highway will remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday. So drivers will have to use an alternate route.

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Motorists can get back on the highway using either LA 1 or LA 415.

More than two thousand soldiers from Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq this fall for antiterrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says members of the 3^rdBrigade Combat Team have trained for the last year.

Cut 9 (07) “training center”

Reischling says 60-percent of the unit will be deployed, and the rest will continue training on the base.

The Advocacy Center files a lawsuit against a Louisiana prison after they were denied access to inmates who made claims of abuse. Attorney Katie Schwartzman with the McArthur Justice Center says they’re concerned about the prisoner at David Wade Correctional Center in Homer.

Cut 3 (12) “suicide watch”

The Department of Corrections has not made a statement on the suit.

For the first time ever, Louisiana will be able to export rice to China thanks to a new trade agreement. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says this is a huge achievement for the rice industry.

Cut 6 (06) “13 days”

Louisiana is the third biggest rice producer in the US behind Arkansas and California.

At 5.5 percent, Louisiana’s unemployment rate is down to a three year low. Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Ava Dejoie, says the Houma are has gained 600 jobs since Ma7, and Lafayette has added jobs in four out of six months.

Cut 15 (06) “some increases”

Constructions jobs saw the largest one month gains with 4,000 new jobs.

Fort Polk is deploying more than 2,000 soldiers to Iraq for anti-terrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says 60 percent of the unit will be deployed, leaving less than two thousand men and women of the combat team on the base.

Cut 11 (06) “here anyway”

The 3^rd Brigade Team has trained for this deployment for the last year.

New data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows The Bayou State’s unemployment rate at 5.5-percent, which is a three year low. The June employment report also shows nonfarm jobs increased by nearly 21-thousand over the last 12 months. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Ava Dejoie says three industry sectors also reached all-time highs in employment.
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The Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge will close today at 8 p.m. so crews can repair the railroad track there. Rodney Mallet with state Department of Transportation says drivers can use LA 1 or LA 415 as alternate routes. He says motorists should expect some delays, but DOTD is doing what they can to alert drivers of the closure.
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US 190 will reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday.

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”

Two Shreveport business owners have been arrested in connection to a multi-state human trafficking investigation, according to State Police. After receiving a call from Missouri State Police alerting authorities, the owners the Palm Massage were arrested after police found evidence indicating that Chinese women were trafficked from the east coast to Louisiana and forced to work.

The Advocacy Center has filed a lawsuit against the David Wade Correctional center in Homer after inmates claimed they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann with the McArthur Justice Center says it’s the Advocacy Center’s job to investigate allegations of abuse, but prison officials won’t let them in.

Cut 4 (11) “of that prison”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a comment on the suit.

The US has reached an agreement that will allow Louisiana to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it took so long for the trade agreement to be finalized because of safety protocols.

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Over 2-thousand soldiers from Fort Polk are deploying to Iraq this fall to handle antiterrorism operations. Base Spokesperson Kim Reischling says members of the 3^rdBrigade Combat Team have spent the last year training.

Cut 9 (07) “training center”

She says 60-percent of the unit will be deployed to Iraq.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year low. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, in June the state law the largest over-the-month job gains since 2010.

Here’s a look at commodity prices…

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More women and minorities are seeking concealed carry permits than white men, according to a report from the Crime Prevention Research Center. Wade Duty co-owns Precision Firearms in Baton Rouge and says that’s not surprising because personal security crosses all demographics.

Cut 5 (09) “their safety”

One year after being released from the hospital following an ambush attack on Baton Rouge cops, Lt. Bruce Simmons is back to work. Casey Hicks with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office says the department is thrilled to have him back on the force.

Cut 13 (09) “that direction”

Simmons was shot in the left arm by a gunman who targeted law enforcement officers after the Alton Sterling shooting.

After a two-year-old from Arkansas spent 15 minutes underwater, doctors at LSU Health New Orleans helped regrow her lost brain matter. Jeff Palermo has more…

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More than 2,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq in the fall. Military men and women in the 3^rd Brigade Combat Team, 10^th Mountain Division, will conduct combat and anti-terrorism operations. While deployed, the unit will maintain a presence at the Louisiana base to train for future deployments.

More woman and minorities are receiving concealed handgun permits than men, according to a national report from the Crime Prevention Research Center…:
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Red snapper anglers get another weekend of fishing. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries say, so far, fishermen have not threatened the harvest limit that would trigger the closure of the red snapper season. They say the state’s self-imposed cutoff is 1.04 million pounds for 2017, and the latest catch numbers are just over 655,600 pounds.

Governor John Bel Edwards would like lawmakers to start working on a solution to the looming budget deficit as over a billion dollars in temporary taxes are set to expire in July of next year…:
Cut 9 (09) “to act”
He says they simply cannot wait until next year to start working, and that’s what he said in a letter to House Speaker Taylor Barras.

Lt. Bruce Simmons is back to work at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, just over a year after being shot in the police ambush. Casey Rayborn Hicks with the sheriff’s office says even though doctors had to put a titanium bar in Simmons’ arm because the bone was shattered where he was shot, he cleared his qualifying tests with flying colors…:
Cut 15 (10) “it felt great”
Sheriff Sid Gautreaux welcomed Simmons back by promoting him from sergeant to lieutenant.

It’s been just over a year since a gunman ambushed Baton Rouge police officers, killing three and injuring three — and one of the injured deputies is now able to go back to work. Doctors had to put a titanium bar in Lt. Bruce Simmons’ arm because the bone was shattered where he was shot, but he was determined to return to work…:
Cut 14 (11) “for all of us”
That’s EBRSO spokeswoman Casey Hicks.

There has been a massive increase in the number of women applying for gun permits. A Crime Prevention Research Center report finds CCPs for women grew by 93-percent from 2012 to 2016. Wade Duty, co-owner of Precision Firearms in Baton Rouge, credits a cultural shift among the ladies…:
Cut 6 (11) “own protection”
Duty expects this trend to continue.

Governor John Be Edwards says now is the time for lawmakers to work on a plan to address the looming fiscal cliff in 2018. Over a billion dollars in temporary taxes are set to expire in July of next year, and Edwards says something must be done to fill that budget hole…:
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That’s the message the governor sent to House Speaker Taylor Barras.

Doctors in New Orleans have helped literally regrow a toddler’s brain after she drowned. Two-year-old Eden Carlson of Arkansas lost a significant amount of brain tissue after spending 15 minutes underwater. Director of Hyperbaric Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, Dr. Paul Harch, says treatments in an oxygen chamber worked wonders for Eden..:
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He says Eden can now walk and talk again.

Just over one year after an ambush attack on Baton Rouge police officers, one wounded deputy is back at work. Halen Doughty has more…:
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A heat advisory is in effect for the northern half of the state once again today through at least 7 this evening. The National Weather Service says hot and humid conditions will continue with high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. Forecasters indicate that when you combine that with the humidity, heat indices will range from 105-109 degrees.

Governor John Bel Edwards sent a letter to House Speaker Taylor Barras that said now is the time for lawmakers to work on a plan to address the looming fiscal cliff in 2018. The governor says they simply cannot wait until next year to start working…:
Cut 7 (09) “that cliff”
Over a billion dollars in temporary taxes are set to expire in July of next year.

Doctors at LSU Health New Orleans helped regrow a toddler’s brain after she drowned. Two-year-old Eden Carlson of Arkansas was under water for 15 minutes, and Dr. Paul Harch, Director of Hyperbaric Medicine, says she made amazing milestones with oxygen treatments 45 minutes twice a day. He says weeks later Eden’s parents brought her to New Orleans where she was placed in a hyperbaric chamber at the hospital…:
Cut 10 (11) “just accelerated”
He says this is the first known case of doctors actually regrowing lost brain matter.