All four Confederate monuments in New Orleans have come down, so what’s next for the hundred-year-old statues? Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Click It or Ticket campaign kicks off today in Louisiana. State Police Sgt. Jared Sandifer…:
Cut 4 (08) “every time”

Most of the state is under a Flash Flood Watch through late tonight. The National Weather Service says 2-4 inches of additional rainfall is forecast.

Louisiana’s film industry could rebound if the state’s film tax credit program is stabilized. That’s according to executive director of Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge, Patrick Mulhearn, who says TV in particular could be promising if the back-end cap on the program is fixed…:
Cut 13 (08) “in schools”
The measure to be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee today would make it a front-end cap on the program.

The peach harvest is extremely slim this year thanks to a warm winter. Owner of Mitcham Farms in Ruston, Joe Mitcham, says the crop needs a lot of cold hours, temperatures under 45 degrees for a majority of the winter in order for the fruit to properly develop…:
Cut 10 (09) “300″

All four Confederate monuments in New Orleans have come down, so what’s next for the hundred-year-old statues? Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

With plenty of rain in the forecast this weekend, officials and residents are keeping a close eye on the Mississippi River as levels continue to rise. Crews in St. Francisville put down large sandbags near a tributary of the river, Bayou Sara, that is expected to flood in the coming days. Army Corps of Engineers says as the water rises, their flood fight will be upgraded to phase two.

The Senate Finance committee has started hearings on the proposed spending plan for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says the budget the House approved does not properly fund the Department of Children and Family Services….
cut 10 (08) “…supervised”
Alario says the House did not allocate 206-million dollars that’s available to spend and they may use some of that money to fill the budget gaps.

Three St. Amant young adults were found dead in an Ascension Parish bayou by a member of their own family following a crash. State Trooper Bryan Lee says when troopers arrived they discovered a mangled vehicle and the bodies of its occupants scattered around…:
Cut 7 (09) “in half”
Family members say the three were on their way back from a night in New Orleans. The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says they located a body at the site of the accident that was unrelated to the crash.

Senate President John Alario says the upper chamber is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program. Alario says the budget plan approved by the House takes money away from the Department of Health to fully fund TOPS and they are taking a close look at that proposal.
cut 9 (07) “…TOPS funding”
Alario also says the Senate also disagrees with a House bill to raise the minimum GPA in order to receive the TOPS scholarship.

“The most brutal attack I have ever seen”…is how Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi described the alleged kidnapping and rape of a woman by a man from Golden Meadow. 33-yer-old Joshua Penny is accused of taking the victim to a secluded wooded area after an argument and causing injuries to her that required multiple surgeries and other procedures. Penny was booked on charges including first-degree rape, domestic abuse and false imprisonment.

The full House has approved a measure that would require higher training standards for police officers. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James’ bill would require cops to receive at least 400 hours of basic POST training before entering the field…:
Cut 12 (10) “the 400 hours”
James says he’s worked with law enforcement to come up with the best practices to prepare officers for work in the field.

The LSU baseball team has claimed the SEC West championship with an 11-5 win over Mississippi State. The Tigers can pick up an outright regular season conference title if they complete the sweep of the Bulldogs today and if Kentucky beats Florida.

The 3rd Annual Crawfish Gatorfest is underway this weekend at The Grove at ULM. The event that draws people from throughout North Louisiana includes carnival rides and games, festival food vendors, a petting zoo and live music. Visit originalcrawfishgatorfest.com for details.

The Monumental Task Committee is slamming the removal of the Robert E Lee statue in New Orleans. In a statement, the group asserts the city heads into its Tricentennial more divided and less historic than ever — and compares the taking down of four Confederate era monuments to ISIS tactics. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said The Civil War is over, the Confederacy lost and the city is better for it.

The Senate is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program, despite budget troubles, according to President John Alario. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A bill heading to the Senate will require that police officers receive at least 400 hours of basic training and….
cut 13 (09) “…peace officers”
That’s Baton Rouge Representative Ted James, who wrote the bill in response to the police shooting of Alton Sterling. James says law enforcement is in support of the legislation.

Governor John Bel Edwards is going to speak this morning at the graduation of the 2017 class of Louisiana Tech. The school will also be celebrating its 100,000th graduate during the spring commencement ceremony.

Safe boating week begins today, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is going to be out in full force on waterways. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says it’s important to remember three things when out on the water…:
Cut 3 (08) “working condition”

Crews worked for more than 10 hours to remove the 16-foot tall, 7-thousand pound statue of Robert E. Lee from its 68-foot pedestal on St. Charles Avenue. It’s the fourth confederate-era monument to be taken down in recent weeks after the Metro City Council voted to remove them. It’s unclear where the memorials to confederate leaders will go from here.

The Senate is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program, despite budget troubles, according to President John Alario. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The full House approves a bill to require more training for police. A proposal by Baton Rouge Representative Ted James would require officers to receive at least 400 hours of basic POST training before entering the field.

Cut 12 (10) “the 400 hours”

James says he’s worked on this bill with the help of law enforcement around the state.

Safe Boating Week begins Saturday and runs through May 26. Adam Einck with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries advises boaters to sign up for a free boating safety course on LDWF’s website.

Cut 5 (09) “as well””
Louisiana recorded 24 boating fatalities in 2016, and this year nine people have died in boating accidents.

Crews have been working all day to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from its 68-foot pedestal in New Orleans. Mayor Mitch Landrieu says taking down the confederate monuments was the right thing to do.

Cut 20 (14) “…absurd”

The Senate Finance committee has started hearings on the proposed spending plan for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says the budget the House approved does not properly fund the Department of Children and Family Services.

Cut 10 (08) “supervised”

Alario says the House did not allocate all the available funds, and that money could be used to fill the budget gaps.

Three people from St. Amant were killed when their vehicle veered off the roadway, went airborne, and hit a tree, causing it to split in half. State Trooper Bryan Lee says the three young adults were found by a family member after they didn’t come home following a night out.

Cut 6 (09) “a canal”

The victims are identified as Thomas Jones, Austin Kiernan, and Sydney Persac.

A bill to increase the training requirement for police to 400 hours is heading to the Senate. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says his bill also requires 20 hours of annual training and more focus in some key areas.

Cut 13 (09) “peace officers”

The House approved the measure 82 to 5.

Senate is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program, despite budget troubles, according to President John Alario. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The fourth and final Confederate monument in New Orleans is coming down, as crews are currently working to remove the statue of Robert E Lee. A crane is in place ready to take down the 16 foot tall statue of the Confederate general from its perch above St. Charles Avenue. Crowds are gathering around Lee Circle.

A bill that increases the training requirement for police officers to 400 hours is heading to the Senate floor. The measure by Baton Rouge Representative Ted James would also require officers to complete 20 additional hours of annual training, including learning about bias policing recognition.

Cut 14 (10) “those situations”

James filed the bill in response to the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge.

Safe Boating Week kicks off Saturday in Louisiana and runs through May 26. Adam Einck with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says their agents will be conducting more safety checks on waterways this week. He says it’s important to remember three things when out on the water.

Cut 3 (08) “working condition”

Louisiana has seen 9 boating fatalities so far this year.

Three St. Amant young adults were found dead in an Ascension Parish bayou by a member of their own family. State Trooper Bryan Lee says they believe the crash occurred early Thursday morning but was not discovered until around midnight Thursday. He says when troopers arrived they discovered a grisly scene of the vehicle split in half by a tree.
Cut 7 (09) “in half”

The victims have been identified as Thomas Jones, Austin Kiernan, and Sydney Persac.

The Senate is committed to fully funding the TOPS program without changes, according to President John Alario. A House measure would raise the GPA requirement to 2.75 but Alario expects any changes will be unsuccessful in the Senate. He says too many students rely on TOPS.
Cut 11 (10) “for us”

The full House has approved a measure that would require higher training standards for police officers. The proposal by Baton Rouge Representative Ted James would require officers to receive at least 400 hours of basic POST training before entering the field.
Cut 12 (10) “the 400 hours”

Currently, crews in New Orleans are taking down the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This is the fourth Confederate monument to be removed in the last few weeks. Mayor Mitch Landrieu is expected to speak on the topic this afternoon.

Here’s a look at commodities.

The Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association supports proposed changes to the state’s film tax credit program. A Senate-approved measure would place a front-end cap on the program, as opposed to the back-end cap enacted in 2015. Association president Robert Vosbein says there’s even incentives to get producers outside of the Big Easy…:
Cut 12 (07) “in the state”
The bill was approved 33-3 in the Senate. Its next hearing will be in the House Ways and Means Committee.

Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves calls the investigation into the connection between President Donald Trump and Russia during the election a total distraction. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been hired to investigate. The President has called this a witch hunt, which Graves feels isn’t too far off the mark because past administrations weren’t treated this way…:
Cut 14 (08) “do our jobs”
Democrats believe if Mr. Trump asked the FBI not to investigate the alleged collusion with Russia it equates to obstruction of justice.

Elementary schools would be required to teach litter education under a bill headed to the Senate floor for final legislative passage. Lafayette Representative Stuart Bishop says it’s time to stop thanking Mississippi and Arkansas for ranking lower than us in trashing streets…:
Cut 9 (07) “embarrassing”

Former and current Saints players will participate in a weekend of fishing, shooting and entertainment at the Black and Gold Classic in Grand Isle. Former Saints tackle Stan Brock hosts the event and says today teams will participate in a private shooting event and tomorrow the fishing rodeo begins at 6 a.m. He says all the proceeds go to the Green Beret Foundation and All American Caliber, groups which support veterans:
Cut 4 (09) “for them”
He says registration for the rodeo begins at 5:30am tomorrow and you can get all the details at blackandgoldclassic.com.