The Senate Education Committee will discuss today whether a task force should be formed to study the TOPS scholarship program’s long-term liability. Senate Education Chairman Blade Morrish says the taxpayer funded award has not been examined since it was created over 20 years ago…:
Cut 7 (10) “come to”
He says this information would be useful when it comes to drafting proposals that would alter the program.

With only two weeks left in the legislative session, lawmakers are not close to agreeing on a budget for next fiscal year and addressing the loss of over a billion dollars in temporary taxes that are set to expire in July 2018. That’s according to Jeremy Alford of LaPolitics.com:
Cut 4 (08) “in full”
The session must end June 8th.

A south Louisiana man is behind bars after police say he stalked, beat up his ex-girlfriend and secretly stayed in her attic…:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Nobody won the Powerball jackpot last night and it now climbs to $275 million dollars for Saturday night’s drawing. That’s a cash value of over $170 million dollars.

The Affordable Care Act was a big topic of discussion when Vice President Mike Pence visited Port Allen today. He says the Obamacare nightmare is about to end because it’s putting a burden on job creators and driving up premiums across the country.

Cut 14 (12) “dollars more”

Pence says President Trump remains committed to repealing and replacing the ACA.

Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on the congressional delegation to reject the President’s proposed budget. The governor’s communications director Richard Carbo says the budget repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which entitles Louisiana to a portion of offshore drilling revenue for oil leases.

Cut 3 (09) “every year”

Louisiana is set to receive its first GOMESA payment in October 2018.

Louisiana’s crawfish harvest is being threatened by a deadly virus. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The search is over for a south Louisiana man accused of living in his ex-girlfriend’s attic, as 21-year-old Taylor Broussard is behind bars. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office says a Larose woman reported her ex had stolen her vehicle after brandishing a knife. State troopers located the suspect in Baton Rouge Wednesday. Broussard faces 9 charges in Lafourche Parish including stalking, domestic abuse battery, vehicle theft, and home invasion.

Not much progress has been made solving the state’s budget woes as there are only two weeks left in the legislative session. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

The chairman of the Senate Education Committee wants a comprehensive study done on TOPS as a way to help legislators ensure the program has a long lasting future. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________

A south Louisiana man is behind bars after police say he stalked, beat up his ex-girlfriend and secretly stayed in her attic. Halen Doughty has the disturbing story…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

__________________________________

With only two weeks left in the legislative session, lawmakers are not close to agreeing on a budget for next fiscal year and addressing the loss of over a billion dollars in temporary taxes that are set to expire in July 2018. That’s according to Jeremy Alford of LaPolitics.com…

Cut 4  (08) “in full”

Alford says the majority in the House despise creating new taxes to solve a looming budget deficit, while the majority in the Senate and the governor believe that is the solution. He says there is no clear path for where this session will end.

Cut 5  (11)  “to happen”

Alford says while action on the budget is stagnant, the legislature is moving ahead with criminal justice reform. He says the package that lawmakers will agree on is not as ambitious as what the governor originally proposed.

Cut 6 (08) “the books”

________________________________________________________

The Senate Education Committee will discuss today whether a task force should be formed to study how to ensure the TOPS scholarship program long-term liability. Senate Education Chairman Blade Morrish says the taxpayer funded program has not been examined since it was created over 20 years ago.

Cut 7 (10)  “come to”

Morrish says the higher education landscape has changed since TOPS was put into place. He says there are now admission standards and a large community college system. He says it’s time to take a comprehensive look at TOPS.

Cut 8 (06) “to ask”

Morrish says the task force’s findings will provide good information for lawmakers when they consider proposed changes to the scholarship program in the future.

Cut 9 (10)  “work with”

____________________________________________________________

More people may have been affected by the Great Flood of 2016 than we thought, according to a recent LSU survey. Dr. Michael Henderson with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab says 18 percent of residents took on water during the March and August floods. He says 30 percent of workers were also impacted.

Cut 10 (08) “one in three”

Henderson says 14 percent of respondents say they housed a flood victim during the aftermath of the storms. He says while the impact could be felt in almost all corners of the state, some areas were more affected by the rising waters.

Cut 11 (07) “as well”

The survey also finds the share of low income residents affected by the flood was nearly twice the rate of higher income households who were impacted. Henderson says respondents did not give favorable ratings to FEMA or the state government for their response to the floods.

Cut 12 (11) “about the same”

____________________________________________________________

The search is over for a south Louisiana man accused of living in his ex-girlfriend’s attic, as 21-year-old Taylor Broussard is behind bars. Brennan Matherne with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office says the investigation began in Larose after a woman reported her ex had stolen her vehicle after brandishing a knife. He says state troopers located the suspect Wednesday.

Cut 13 (09) “May 24”

Matherne says Broussard faces one charge in Baton Rouge for being in the stolen vehicle, but he has 9 charges in Lafourche Parish. He says on May 3, the victim called police after escaping her home, where Broussard was attacking her.

Cut 14 (11) “other items”

Matherne says when Broussard fled the scene, he stole the woman’s purse, phone, and SUV. He says the victim fled to a neighbor’s house to contact police. When deputies arrived to investigate further, they made a disturbing discovery in the victim’s attic.

Cut 15 (10) “bottles of urine”

Broussard is charged in Lafourche Parish with stalking, domestic abuse battery, domestic abuse aggravated assault, vehicle theft, and home invasion, among other charges.

Vice President Mike Pence is currently speaking at Cajun Industries in Port Allen as part of his listening tour. Governor John Bel Edwards presented the vice president with a letter upon his arrival this morning which outlines areas of concern for the state in the White House budget proposal — one of which deals with Medicaid….:
Cut 4 (09) “amount of money”
That’s Edwards’ spokesman Richard Carbo.

Mr. Pence made two surprise stops upon his arrival today to the homes of the flood victims he and President Donald Trump visited last year.

The 7-year-old who was accidentally shot at an elementary school in Moss Bluff is doing well after undergoing surgery for a second time. The family of the first-grader says the child will remain in the PICU for a few more days. According to Calcasieu Parish authorities, the shooting occurred on May 15th when another student brought a gun to school and it accidentally went off and struck the 7-year-old.

A deadly virus is threatening Louisiana crawfish. Aquaculture specialist Mark Shirley with the LSU AgCenter says the white spot syndrome originated in shrimp ponds in Thailand and Southeast Asia in the early 1990s. That’s why it’s called the white spot syndrome…:
Cut 7 (09) “that white spot”
Shirley says this virus can greatly affect a crawfish farmer’s income by killing off the harvest. But he says it’s not a threat to humans.

The full House just barely approved a measure to raise the minimum GPA for the TOPS scholarship to 2.75, up from 2.5. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James is one of a handful of Democrats who supported the legislation…:
CUT 25 (08) “reward students”
Opponents argue this bill would cut out low income kids who need help with tuition the most. The bill heads to the Senate on a 53-32 vote.

The governor calls on Louisiana’s congressional delegation to oppose President Donald Trump’s spending plan for next fiscal year. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Vice President Mike Pence landed in Louisiana this morning and his first stop was in Denham Springs to visit with flood victims. He’s with Congressman Garret Graves who plans to discuss matters our state faces from devastating flooding, to new energy policies. Mr. Pence is scheduled to give remarks from Cajun Industries in Port Allen at roughly 1:15 p.m.

A deadly virus is threatening Louisiana crawfish. Aquaculture specialist Mark Shirley with the LSU AgCenter says the white spot syndrome virus showed up in Acadiana about a decade ago. He says the virus is showing up again in ponds across southwest Louisiana, and it’s hurting the crawfish harvest…:
Cut 6 (10) “they die”
But he says consumers shouldn’t notice much of a difference as the straight ones shouldn’t hit the boiling pot.

With no winners in more than three months, the Powerball jackpot now stands at a whopping $250 million dollars for tonight’s drawing. That’s a cash value of 154.8 million.

Vice President Mike Pence and Air Force 2 have landed in Louisiana. The Vice President is in town for a listening tour and Congressman Garret Graves flew down with him. Graves says Louisiana business leaders can offer Mr. Pence a unique perspective, as we’ve faced some unusual challenges, from a historic flood to new energy policies. He says a lot of these situations here affect the entire nation…:
Cut 10 (12) “or inefficiently”

Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on the Louisiana congressional delegation to oppose President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins October 1. The governor’s communications director Richard Carbo says they’re disappointed the plan repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act..:
Cut 3 (09) “every year”
He says the governor will make his concerns known to Vice President Pence during the visit today.

A bill to raise the minimum GPA requirement for the TOPS award to 2.75 barely made it off the House floor Tuesday. Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox says many people who support this bill don’t understand communities that struggle…:
Cut 16 (07) “in the face”

But supporters say this would help sustain the program. The bill heads to the Senate on a 53-32 vote.

The House is slated to take up a proposal today to raise the state’s gasoline tax 17 cents. Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere is skeptical the additional revenue raised by the tax would be used to alleviate highway problems….:
Cut 5 (10) “new roads”
But supporters assert there is more accountability and transparency with this proposal. It will need support from two-thirds of the House to advance, and they will vote next week according to the bill’s author, Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter.

The full House approved a measure to raise the minimum GPA for the TOPS scholarship to 2.75, up from 2.5 by the narrowest of votes. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James is one of a handful of Democrats who supported the legislation…:
CUT 25 (08) “reward students”
Opponents argue this bill would cut out low income kids who need help with tuition the most. The bill heads to the Senate on a 53-32 vote.

Today the lower chamber is expected to take up the measure that would raise the state’s gasoline tax by 17 cents a gallon. The GOP opposes the the increase saying there is no guarantee the extra revenue would actually go to repair the state’s roads. But Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says there’s more accountability and transparency with this proposal…:
Cut 6 (09) “in legislation”
The proposal will need support from two-thirds of the House to advance.

A Senate Judiciary committee voted to raise the fees for individuals on probation and parole in Louisiana to increase salaries for parole officers…:
Cut 3 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The 7-year-old who was accidentally shot at an elementary school in Moss Bluff is doing well after undergoing surgery for a second time. The family of the first-grader says the child will remain in the PICU for a few more days. According to Calcasieu Parish authorities, the shooting occurred on May 15th when another student brought a gun to school and it fell out of his backpack, discharged when it was picked up by another student and struck the 7-year-old. The father and brother of the student who brought the gun to school were charged in the incident.

The House is scheduled to take up a proposal today to increase the state’s gasoline tax by 17 cents a gallon. Jeff Palermo has more..:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The TOPS award requirement would be a 2.75 GPA up from 2.5 under a bill narrowly approved by the full House Tuesday. New Orleans Representative Joe Bouie says this proposal would have unintended consequences…:
Cut 15 (10) “TOPS program”
But it heads to the Senate on a 53-32 vote.

Governor John Bel Edwards is slated to meet Vice President Mike Pence at the Baton Rouge airport later this morning. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves is traveling with the Vice President on Air Force 2 and says this will give them the opportunity to discuss some of the issues that are important to Louisianans…:
Cut 9 (07) “president’s budget”
The Governor’s spokesman says Edwards will bring up some of his concerns to Pence regarding President Trump’s budget proposal.

A Senate Judiciary committee voted to raise the fees for individuals on probation and parole in Louisiana to increase salaries for parole officers. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says his legislation is needed because the governor’s criminal justice reform effort will lead to more offenders on probation and parole…:
Cut 12 (11) “be making”
But opponents say this bill would increase the financial burden placed on parolees.

Vice President Mike Pence is travelling to Baton Rouge today to meet with business leaders. Halen Doughty has more on what to expect from the meeting..:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

A bill to raise the minimum GPA requirement for the TOPS award to 2.75 barely made it off the House floor Tuesday. Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox says many people who support this bill don’t understand communities that struggle…:
Cut 16 (07) “in the face”
The bill heads to the Senate on a 53-32 vote.

The House is slated to take up a proposal today to raise the state’s gasoline tax 17 cents. Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere is skeptical the additional revenue raised by the tax would be used to alleviate highway problems….:
Cut 5 (10) “new roads”
But supporters assert there is more accountability and transparency with this proposal. It will need support from two-thirds of the House to advance, and they will vote next week according to the bill’s author, Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter.

The West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office says two white trucks, possibly drag racing down LA 1 in Port Allen, caused the death of a Plaquemine woman. They say 22-year-old Gina Marks was killed after she was ejected from one of the vehicles involved in the alleged race.

Authorities are investigating the death of an 8-month-old in Baton Rouge. The coroner says the infant, Bryaneishia Washington-Dixon died of blunt force trauma to her abdomen. Police say no charges have been filed at this time, but the case is in its early stages.