An infant is in critical condition and a mother is facing charges following an accidental shooting in a vehicle. Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says 23-year-old Crystal Kinchen of Baton Rouge left two small children unattended in a parked car.

Cut 3 (12) “the face”

McKneely says the mother has been charged with second degree cruelty to a juvenile.

For the first time ever, TOPS recipients are preparing to pay almost 60-percent of their spring tuition, which raises questions about the future of the program. House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says TOPS needs to be a bigger priority in the next session, because last time there was a push to fund public-private hospitals.

Cut 8 (08) “11-percent”

Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to discuss TOPS on his call in radio show today at 2pm.

Some lawmakers are fuming over the Office of Motor Vehicles’ decision to no longer accept cash payments. OMV Commissioner Karen St. Germain says not accepting cash saves the OMV 500-thousand dollars because it costs money to handle and securely transport the cash.

Cut 15 (08) “that cash”

Some state legislatures have requested that the Governor’s Office reverse the change because not everyone carries cash.

CSRA has just opened a new facility in Bossier City, which means more jobs coming to northwest Louisiana. LED Secretary Don Pierson says CSRA may not the household name like IBM, but it’s still a major IT company.

Cut 10 (10) “homeland security”

Pierson hopes the new integrated technology center will attract more IT giants to Louisiana.

The Baton Rouge Police Department says the mother of the 2-year-old who accidentally shot his 1-year-old sister in the face has been arrested. Cops say the woman was not properly supervising the toddler when he managed to grab the weapon and she’s been booked with 2nd degree cruelty to juveniles. The baby is in critical condition.

Weather in Louisiana is going to be on a wild swing this week and the potential for severe weather as a cold front moves in has even caused some high school football games to be moved to Thursday. But State Climatologist Barry Keim says rain chances are fairly low…:
Cut 6 (10) “some problems”
He says temperatures this week are in the 80s, but we can expect morning lows in the 30s by Monday.

CSRA has opened a new integrated technology center in Bossier City, which is good news for economic development in northwest Louisiana. LED Secretary Don Pierson says Louisiana is funding a 10-year $14 million higher education initiative with colleges in northwest Louisiana to help the company expand its workforce…:
cut 11 (12) “great company”.
The 96-hundred square foot facility anchors the 3-thousand acre National Cyber Research Park in Bossier City.

It’s likely LSU running back Leonard Fournette’s final game in Tiger Stadium on Saturday. The junior from New Orleans is expected to be a Top Five pick in next spring’s NFL draft, but he admits it will be hard to leave college early…:
Cut 16 (10)” Coach O”
Fournette says the juniors on the team will meet with Coach Ed Orgeron after the season to determine whether they should return for their senior season.

Many parents and students are wondering about the future of the TOPS scholarship program now that they have the letter letting them know only about 40% of their tuition will be covered in the spring. House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says he supports throwing more money to fund TOPS, but he will not vote to raise more taxes…:
CUT 9 (11) “spend less”
Edwards issued a statement saying he hopes the legislature is more willing to work with him on the budget in the next session so that that Louisiana’s students are not left to shoulder the burden of the state’s financial problems.

There’s been a horrible tragedy in Baton Rouge. Police say a 2-year-old child somehow got a hold of gun inside a car, and shot a 1-year-old sibling in the face by mistake. Officials said the victim was taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle in extremely serious condition. More on this as it develops.

Good news for IT workers in northwest Louisiana, as CRSA just opened their new integrated technology center in Bossier City. Halen Doughty has more…:
cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Temperatures in Louisiana are expected to be all over the place in the coming days. State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’re looking at 80s this week, but we’ll see minimum temperatures in the 30s across most of Louisiana by Sunday and Monday.
CUT 5 (11) “of time”

TOPS recipients are preparing to pay nearly 60-percent of their tuition for the spring semester, and state leaders say they are committed to making sure that doesn’t happen again next year. Jeff Palermo has more:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating an incident in which a 2-year-old shot a 1-year-old sibling in the face by mistake while inside a vehicle, leaving the baby in serious condition. Details are limited at this time, but cops confirm the family drove the injured infant to the hospital and it’s not yet known how the 2-year-old was able to obtain the weapon.

Some lawmakers are not happy with the Office of Motor Vehicles decision to stop accepting cash as a form of payment. The OMV announced the new policy as a way to save money and prevent theft by state workers. Jonesboro Senator Jim Fannin says many senior citizens do not have credit cards and they shouldn’t have to suffer because employees might steal cash…:
Cut 13 (09) “the agency”
OMV Commissioner Karen St. Germain says the new policy saves the state 500-thousand dollars.

CSRA has opened a new integrated technology center in Bossier City, which is good news for economic development in northwest Louisiana. LED Secretary Don Pierson says CSRA isn’t a household name like IBM and CenturyLink, but it’s still a major information technology company…:
Cut 10 (10) “homeland security”
Pierson says now employs 400 people in Shreveport-Bossier but will expand to 800 by June 2018.

TOPS students will pay nearly 60-percent of their tuition for the spring semester, so what does the future hold for the popular scholarship program? House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says if the governor makes TOPS more of a priority in the next session, it will be funded at a higher level…:
CUT 7 (09) “just not”
Governor Edwards issued a statement saying he hopes the state can restore funding to TOPS because too many students depend on the program.

Louisiana will experience some roller coaster temperatures this week. State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’ll see high temperatures in the 80s across the state over the next two days, but a significant cold front will come in on Friday…:
cut 4 (10) “on Monday”
Keim says Saturday will be relatively cool and breezy, with temperatures in the 50s in the morning and reaching the mid 60s in the afternoon.

Some lawmakers don’t agree with the Office of Motor Vehicles new policy of “no cash” as a form of payment. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Today Governor John Bel Edwards will appear on his monthly call in radio show “Ask the Governor” beginning at 2pm. The governor’s guest today wll be First Lady Donna Edwards.

Caroline Fayard has endorsed Foster Campbell in the US Senate runoff, but whether or not that will help him win the race remains to be seen. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says even though Louisiana voters elected a Democrat as governor last year, it doesn’t seem likely.

Cut 16 (09) “a majority”

Campbell will be on the ballot with Republican John Kennedy on December 10.

FEMA will continue paying for August flood victims to live in hotel rooms until December 18^th. Denham Springs resident and flood victim Dennis Rodriguez is living in a Breaux Bridge hotel thanks to the program and says it has been a tremendous help.

Cut 3 (10) “for us”

More than 2-thousand families are using the program.

A St. Paul High School football player is still recovering in the hospital after sustaining a serious neck injury during a game. The school’s athletic director, Craig Ketelsen, says Michael Doherty underwent a 7 hour surgery on Sunday.

Cut 9 (10) “positive results”

Doherty collided with three players, resulting in a major injury to his C5 vertebrae.

It’s been more than a year since a production has been filmed at Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge, and Executive Director Patrick Mulhearn says they’re doing what they can to keep their doors open. He says he’s finding other ways to use the facility.

Cut 8 (10) “that discussion”

Mulhearn is hopeful the film industry will improve when the cap on film tax credits expires in 18 months.

For the first time ever, TOPS recipients will pay almost 60-percent of their spring tuition. Governor John Bel Edwards says it is his hope that lawmakers can restore funding for the program because students depend on it. He adds that further cuts will not be made to the scholarship program, despite the budget shortfalls the state is facing, because today we risk student dropping out or graduating with burdensome debt.

FEMA will continue to pay for flood victims to stay in hotels until December 18^th. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Caroline Fayard has endorsed Foster Campbell in the US Senate runoff, despite some harsh verbal attacks before the election. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says this endorsement is about fence mending.

Cut 15 (09) “Foster Campbell”

Campbell will go up against Republican John Kennedy on December 10.

Things are looking up for Hollywood South, as we’re halfway through the cap lawmakers put on the state’s film tax credit program. Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association President, Patrick Mulhearn, says other states, like Georgia, that do not have limits on film tax credits are bringing in more projects, but they’re more vulnerable to fraud.

Cut 7 (08) “in Atlanta”

The 180-million dollar cap expires in 18 months.

FEMA announces they will continue to pay for hotel rooms for displaced flood victims through December 18. Dennis Rodriguez is one of those staying in a hotel and says he’s thrilled they’ve extended the deadline because his home still unlivable. He says he’d have nowhere to live if the program ended on November 18 as planned.

Cut 4 (09) “ours yet”

More than 2-thousand families are using the program.

It’s been one year since GLO Airlines inaugural flight out of their New Orleans based terminal. Currently, GLO offers daily flights from New Orleans to five destinations in the Gulf South. Founder and CEO Trey Fayard says they’re looking to depart from other Gulf and mid-South cities in the future.

Cut 13 (07) “in Louisiana”

GLO recently added flights to Huntsville, Alabama, and Destin.

There’s an outpouring of support for an injured high school football player who is still recovering in the hospital. St. Paul high school Athletic Director, Craig Ketelsen, says when he visited Michael Doherty at Lakeview Hospital, there were so many visitors that he was only able to talk to the player’s parents.

Cut 10 (10) “the state”

Doherty sustained a serious back injury when he collided with three players.

Hollywood South is also trying to recover from the devastating blow a cap on the state’s film tax credit program had on the industry. Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association President Patrick Mulhearn hopes lawmakers will fix the problems with the program before it expires in 18 months.

Cut 6 (10) “front-end cap”

Mulhearn he is cautiously optimistic about the future of the program.