Three Angola death row inmates have filed a suit regarding the decades they have spent in solitary. Plaintiffs Marcus Hamilton, Winthrop Eaton, and Michael Perry have all spent more than 25 years in solitary confinement. Attorney Betsy Ginsberg says living in isolation for this long takes a serious toll on the inmates’ physical and mental health..:
Cut 4 (08) “they experience”
The Department of Corrections has not issued a comment on the suit.

TOPS students who graduate and leave Louisiana would have to pay half the scholarship money back under a bill by Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau.
Cut 9 (10) “citizens”
Luneau says this would be much like paying back an interest free student loan.

A recent report says Louisianians are not very good with their money. WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez says they found the average FICO score in the state is a paltry 654. She says there is also irresponsible credit card behavior taking place among many here…:
cUT 13 (09) “sooner”
Gonzales says Louisiana has the highest unbanked rate in the country, meaning 15 percent of residents do not have a bank account at all.

For the first time since 2012, more people in Louisiana are optimistic about the future of the state, according to the 2017 Louisiana Survey. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab Michael Henderson says 40-percent of the respondents say they are confident state government can effectively address the state’s important problems, which is not usual
CUT 8 (10) “increase”
She says 46-percent of residents believe the state is headed in the right direction.

According to the 2017 Louisiana Survey, optimism on the future of the state is on the rise. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The George Rodrigue Blue Dog “I Voted” sticker is considered a collectors item according to a survey by eBay. The auction site said the prize voters got for casting a ballot last year in Louisiana is on sale for about $5 to $50. Secretary of State Tom Schedler said the Blue Dog stickers were so popular that people from all over the country were calling his office asking if they could get one. But he says they only went to folks around the state who took part in elections.

Louisiana has the worst financial literacy in the nation, according to the personal finance website WalletHub. Analyst Jill Gonzales says the median credit score in the state is 654, which is on the verge of bad. She says only 28 percent of residents are setting aside money for their children’s education, and less half have a rainy day fund…:
Cut 12 (11) “emergency funds”
She says Louisiana residents also have a bad habit of spending more money than they make.

Legislation has been filed that would require TOPS recipients who leave Louisiana after graduating to pay 50-percent of their scholarship back to the state over time. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau hopes this encourages students to stay and work in Louisiana, but the bill also saves the state money if graduates choose to leave…:
Cut 11 (07) “four years”

Three death row inmates at Angola have filed a lawsuit after being held in solitary confinement for decades…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisianians are feeling great about the future for the first time since 2012, according to the 2017 Louisiana Survey. But Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Michael Henderson, says folks here are still concerned about the state’s budget problems…:
CUT 7 (10) “of those”
He says 46-percent of residents believe the state is headed in the right direction.

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against Lafayette Consolidated Government after one of their police officers allegedly confiscated a woman’s phone and deleted a picture. Louisiana ACLU executive director Marjorie Esman says the lawsuit seeks an injunction prohibiting Lafayette P-D from interfering with the rights of individuals to photograph police activities in public…..
cut 13 (07) “…that right”
Lafayette PD has no comment on the suit.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office reports there’s been another burglary at Tioga High and the junior high school where extensive damage occurred to the interior of the schools. Authorities are offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of three death row inmates who have spent decades in solitary confinement at Angola. All of Louisiana’s death row inmates are housed in solitary, where they spend 23 hours a day in a windowless cell without air conditioning. Attorney Betsy Ginsberg says this violates their right to due process and their 8^th amendment protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

Cut 3 (10) “solitary confinement”

Ginsberg notes the inmates are in solitary by virtue of their sentence alone, not disciplinary problems.

For the first time since 2012, more Louisianans are optimistic about the future of the state, according to the 2017 Louisiana Survey. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab Michael Henderson says 46 percent of residents believe the state is headed in the right direction.

Cut 6 (08) “this year”

Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on businesses to pay their fair share of taxes through the proposed Commercial Activity Tax, which would levy a gross receipts tax on businesses with at least 1.5 million dollars in annual sales. Edwards says most businesses paid no state taxes in 2015. President of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Stephen Waguespack says this will put an additional strain on businesses.

The ACLU of Louisiana has filed a lawsuit to protect people’s right to film police. Executive Director Marjorie Esman says everyone has the right to take cell phone video of police activity, as long as they don’t interfere, and cell phones are also private by law.

Cut 12 (08) “without a warrant”

The suit comes on behalf of a Lafayette mother who says a cop deleted a picture from her phone without her permission.

The finance website Bankrate.com finds Louisiana is the 5^th worse state to retire. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Governor John Bel Edwards’ proposed Commercial Activity Tax is raising concern with business groups. Halen Doughty has more…

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The American Civil Liberties Union files a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Lafayette woman who claims a police officer deleted a picture off of her phone. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Louisiana is the 5^th worst state to retire in the country, according to a report from the finance website Bankrate.com. Analyst Claes Bell says the Pelican State scored near or at the bottom in several areas.

Cut 4  (09) “not great”

Louisiana has the third worst crime rate in the study, and also scored near the bottom for cultural vitality. Bell says that means funding for the arts is low, which is discouraging to seniors.

Cut 5  (07)  “as retirees”

Not surprisingly, Bell says Louisiana did score well for our weather, but unfortunately it’s not enough to make up for the shortcomings in other areas.  He says another positive rating is affordability for retirees, who live on a budget.

Cut 6 (09) “social security check”

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Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on businesses to pay their fair share of taxes. That’s why he’s proposing the Commercial Activity Tax, which would levy a gross receipts tax on businesses with one-point-five million dollars a year in sales or more. Edwards says a vast majority of businesses paid no state taxes in 2015….

Cut 7 (12)  “their part”

President of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Stephen Waguespack says this is a harmful tax if you’re trying to create jobs and grow your economy…

Cut 8 (11) “other states”

Edwards says the CAT would exempt businesses making less than $1.5 million a year. He says small businesses would instead pay the minimum fixed rate of $250 to $750. He doesn’t believe higher taxes will discourage businesses in the Bayou State, because they want a stable and predictable tax structure.

Cut 9 (09)  “it’s stable”

Waguespack says many corporate tax incentives and deductions have already been reduced in recent years, making it more expensive for companies to do business in Louisiana. He says businesses are struggling to keep up with that cost, and it’s causing job loss in the state.

Cut 10 (10) “will do”

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The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of a Lafayette mother who allegedly had a photo deleted from her phone by a police officer. Louisiana ACLU executive director Marjorie Esman says the photo was of her minor son sitting in the back of a police car, but the woman had every right to take and keep that photo…

Cut 11 (08) “this lawsuit”

Esman says everyone has a right to photograph what they see, including actions of police as long as they don’t interfere. She also says cellphones are by law private..

Cut 12 (08) “without a warrant”

The Lafayette Police Department has no comment on the lawsuit at this time. Esman says the lawsuit seeks an injunction prohibiting Lafayette police from interfering with the rights of individuals to photograph police activities in public…

Cut 13 (07) “that right”

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More revenue is needed to repair Louisiana’s crumbling roads and decrepit bridges. That’s according to Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson, who says it’s been 30 years since the state has made any real investment in transportation. The transportation research group TRIP found 26 percent of major roads in Louisiana are in poor condition. Wilson says we have to provide better infrastructure for our people.

Cut 14 (08) “in the process”

Wilson says DOTD invests the available dollars in the best way they can, but at the end of the day, there’s not enough to do what needs to be done. There’s already talk of raising the state’s gasoline tax in the regular session. Wilson says his department needs a $700 million annual increase in funding to meet the transportation needs.

Cut 15 (10) “asked to deliver”

TRIP finds 13 percent of Louisiana bridges are structurally deficient. Wilson says he’s closed 16 bridges around the state this year alone. He says without more funding, it’s more than likely additional bridges will be shut down. He says DOTD inspects every bridge in the state annually.

Cut 16 (07) “closed bridge”

As part of Governor John Bel Edwards’ plan to improve K-12 education outcomes, a measure has been filed for the legislative session that would prohibit the use of corporal punishment in public schools for students with disabilities. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says his legislation would prohibit physical punishment for kids with intellectual disabilities…:
Cut 8 (10) “certain disabilities”
The state Department of Education found over 500 students with disabilities received some kind of corporal punishment during the 2015-2016 school year.

Mining and logging jobs in Louisiana, which includes the oil and gas sector, saw over the month gains for the first time since October 2014. LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says big industrial gains in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles are helping to drive up overall job gains…:
Cut 15 (07) “oil patch”

A quick weather disturbance is headed toward Louisiana today moving north to south beginning this afternoon into tomorrow. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not unusual to see these bouts of hail, strong winds and possibility of tornadoes this time of year because the upper atmosphere is cold as the surface is heating up…:
CUT 25 (09) “certainly common”

A national transportation research group called TRIP says Louisiana drivers are paying an additional $6.5 billion dollars a year because of bad road conditions. It finds 13 percent of the state’s bridges are structurally deficient, and 26 percent of major roads are in poor condition. Research and Policy Manger Rocky Moretti Louisiana needs to solve this…:
Cut 7 (09) “roadway safety”
Moretti says Louisiana has the 7th highest rate of traffic fatalities in the country..

Poor quality roads are costing Louisiana motorists an additional $6.5 billion annually, according to a report from the national transportation research group TRIP. Halen Doughty has more…:
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The state of Louisiana has billions of dollars of flood recovery money coming from the federal government, but many wonder when it will be available. That information could be released Wednesday. Leaders are meeting at the Louisiana State Capitol to update recovery efforts. The status of that money is expected to be discussed.

Another bout of severe weather is headed towards Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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The weather has only recently started to warm up, and Louisiana has already seen a hot car death. State Police say a 3-year-old died in her mom’s car in Ville Platte. Trooper Brooks David says they are still investigating why the child was left alone in the vehicle…:
Cut 4 (04) “visiting there”

Another bout of severe weather is headed towards Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The state Department of Ag is urging the public to be vigilant as there has been an increase in the number of skimming devices located on gas pumps in Louisiana. Commissioner Mike Strain…:
Cut 6 (08) “PIN number”
He says, in the past month, they’ve confiscated at least 15 skimming devices throughout the state.

Mining and logging jobs in Louisiana, which includes the oil and gas sector, saw over the month gains for the first time since October 2014. That’s according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission who says employment in this sector rose by 200 from January to February. LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says the primary reason for this is the slowdown of job loss in the hardest hit regions…:
Cut 13 (09) “in half”
He also says the job loss rate in Houma has drastically slowed down.

Louisiana’s black homicide victimization rate is the 10th highest in the US. Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann says their report finds 87 percent of black victims in Louisiana were killed with a firearm, compared to 83 percent nationwide….:
Cut 11 (08) “a gun”
He hopes this research educates policy makers, and aids community leaders.

Louisiana is seeing an uptick in skimming devices at gas pumps. That’s according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, who heads the Weights and Measures division. Strain says his inspectors are finding one or two skimmers a week, and more consumers are alerting his office to help track down the devices…:
Cut 4 (10) “Secret Service”
He urges the public look for signs of forced entry on card readers before you pay at a gas pump and also run the card as credit, not debit.

Governor John Bel Edwards has released his legislative proposals seeking to improve K-12 education. Among the many items on the agenda is a bill carried by Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil that would prohibit corporal punishment for students with disabilities. Also included is legislation that would give schools who have dealt with disasters the flexibility they need in adjusting instructional times.

Get ready for another round of severe weather. It’ll start in North Louisiana this afternoon, and move south ending in New Orleans Thursday night. State Climatologist Barry Keim.
Cut 8 (08) “damaging winds”

According to the Violence Policy Center, Louisiana has the 10th highest rate of black homicide victimization in the country. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”