The man who raised Mike VI from birth until he became LSU’s mascot remembers the beloved cat, who died after a four month battle with cancer. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

US Attorney Walt Green says the investigation into the death of Alton Sterling during a confrontation with Baton Rouge Police officers is still ongoing — three months later. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s not unusual that the process is taking so long…:
CUT 9 (07) “a year”

Senate candidate Troy Hebert’s legal attempt to force LPB and the Council for a Better Louisiana to include more candidates in next week’s Senate debate gets a hearing today in a Baton Rouge courtroom. Political consultant and former-Secretary of State, Jim Brown, says Hebert is right on the money for filing the suit after only 5 of the 24 candidate were scheduled to be in the debate…:
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CABL president Barry Erwin says for the public’s benefit it’s best to hear from candidates who have a viable chance to win.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of animals is calling on LSU to drop its live mascot program following the death of Mike VI. They say it would be best to honor the tiger by not locking up anymore animals on its campus for the sake of parading him around a loud stadium.

US Attorney Walt Green says the investigation into Alton Sterling’s death during a confrontation with Baton Rouge police officers is still ongoing, more than three months after the shooting. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

After today, all Jefferson Parish Public Schools are being told that Parish President Mike Yenni is not allowed on any campus in the parish. This comes after Yenni admitted to sending improper text messages to a 17-year-old boy. Just as the school board was about to bring forward the resolution to ban Yenni from going to schools or functions, Yenni volunteered to stay away.

River Parishes having come up with a new way to get more drunk drivers off the road…the BAT mobile. That’s for Blood Alcohol Testing and it’s a big van equipped with breathalyzer equipment. That’s according to State Police Troop C Commander Frank Besson who says this well help police test drivers’ breath on the spot…:
cut 11 (09) “police department”
The unit will be used in Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne parishes.

LSU’s mascot Mike VI succumbed to cancer Tuesday, and the man who raised him was one of the first to know. Steve Cotner, who was a volunteer at the Great Cats of Indiana when Roscoe was adopted, says he came to visit the famous feline in Baton Rouge twice…:
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Thanks to a GoFundMe account, Cotner plans on coming to LSU to meet everyone involved in the live mascot’s life.

The man who raised Mike VI, the LSU mascot who died yesterday from cancer, says he will never forget the lovable tiger cub. Steve Cotner was a volunteer at the Greater Cats of Indiana when Roscoe was adopted by LSU…:
CUT 6 (12) “somewhere”
It’s reported that Mike’s rare cancer diagnosis is the first ever of its kind in a tiger. He was 11 years old.

Meanwhile the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said they hope that Mike VI’s is LSU’s last live mascot. Just hours after the tiger died, PETA said Mike VI’s legacy should be honored by making him the final animal LSU locks in captivity and parades around an unruly stadium.

LSU student government is holding a memorial for Mike today in front of his habitat on camps.

Today a Baton Rouge court will hear the suit filed by US Senate candidate Troy Hebert against the Council for a Better Louisiana and LBP for excluding most candidates from next week’s debate. Political consultant and former-Secretary of State, Jim Brown, says it’s not fair to the voters to not include all of their options in a forum…:
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Brown told the Jim Engster Show that this debate could have a huge impact on the outcome of the election.

Law enforcement in the bayou and river parishes now have a new weapon to help battle drunk driving – the BAT Mobile. Troop C Commander Frank Besson says local law enforcement agencies will share the mobile Breath Alcohol Testing unit, which is essentially a large van equipped with breath alcohol testing equipment….:
Cut 10 (08) “may be”
The unit will be used in Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne parishes.

With the sad news of Mike VI passing, the man who raised LSU’s live mascot from birth until he came to the university at two years old, Steve Cotner, remembers the playfulness of the sweet tiger. Cotner says right after ‘Roscoe’ was born, the tiger cub wouldn’t bother anyone else but followed him wherever he went. He says the two of them became best friends…:
cut 4 (10) “bad day”
LSU’s Student Government announced it will host a memorial service for Mike this evening in front of Mike VI’s habitat.

Embattled Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni has voluntarily decided to suspend himself from school functions, just minutes before the school board was slated to vote on a resolution banning him from campuses. Yenni last week admitted to sending “improper” text messages to a 17-year-old boy. The board will still vote on the matter at their regular meeting in three weeks.

More than three months after Alton Sterling, a black man, was fatally shot during a confrontation with two white Baton Rouge police officers, US Attorney Walt Green says the investigation is still ongoing. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the Justice Department should take it’s time when investigating these kind of shootings…:
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The US Attorney’s statement says a team of federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and other personnel have devoted hundreds of hours to the investigation.

The state school board has agreed to redesign Louisiana’s teacher training requirements, though Governor John Bel Edwards opposes. The vote was by a one-member margin. The changes would require educators to get more training, including a one-year residency.

LSU announces that its live mascot, Mike VI, was euthanized today at the age of 11 following a four-month battle with cancer. His vet, Dr. David Baker, says one of the things he loved the most about Mike is that he was never shy, even from the first day he met him at the Great Cats of Indiana nonprofit rescue facility…
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LSU says there will not be a formal memorial service for Mike VI.

One in four Americans report having a medical condition worsen because of delaying emergency medical attention for fear of insurance gaps. That’s according to a poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians. The survey also found more than half of respondents are paying more for insurance coverage. ACEP president, Dr. Jay Kaplan, is not surprised:
Cut 13 (10) “emergency care”

The new Republican Party deputy chairman of Louisiana, Tim Breaux, says he will stand by Presidential candidate Donald Trump amid an 11-year-old recording recently released with the businessman making lewd comments about women. Breaux, from Lafayette, says he’s been around Trump on many occasions and has never heard him make statements of this nature…:

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But Executive Director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, Stephen Handwerk, says even if we dismiss the tape from 11 years ago, we only have to go back a week to find more inappropriate tweets or comments…:
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Today is the last day to register to vote for the November 8th election.

Again our breaking news at this hour is that LSU’s live mascot Tiger, Mike VI, has died.

A central Louisiana woman created a GoFundMe account which benefits a man who had a part in raising LSU’s dying mascot, Mike IV. Steve Cotner of Indiana posted online that he wished there was a way he could come say his final goodbyes to the tiger he knows as Roscoe. Jeri Guinn of Pineville said Cotner’s story touched her so launched a GoFundMe:
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She says they’ve reached the goal of raising over $3000 and hopes Cotner can be here by the end of the week.

The US Justice Department has released a statement to update the status of the criminal investigation into Alton Sterling’s death by Baton Rouge Police Officers. US Attorney Walt Green says it’s ongoing and there is no timetable on when the investigation will be finished. He says a team of career federal prosecutors, FBI agents and support personnel have devoted hundreds of hours to the investigation.

Tonight the Jefferson Parish Public School Board is scheduled to take a vote on whether Parish President Mike Yenni will be allowed at school functions. Yenni said he has no plans to step down in the wake of an apparent sexting scandal that he admitted to and apologized. School board member Mark Morgan says tonight’s motion would ban Yenni from schools:
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He says the boy Yenni admitted to texting he met at a school which makes this an important matter.

The former assistant principal accused of killing and dumping a pregnant teacher’s body in a ditch pleaded “not guilty” in court Tuesday morning. 39-year-old Robert Marks was arraigned on charges of second degree murder and first degree feticide.

Following Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni’s admission to sexting a teenage boy, the Jefferson Parish School Board wants to ban him from being on public school campuses. School board member Mark Morgan says the fact that Yenni made contact with the boy on a school campus makes it even more important that Yenni not be allowed there…:
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Yenni maintains he didn’t break any laws and has no plans to resign.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation has launched a campaign to promote roundabout safety tips. DOTD Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says they receive a lot of positive feedback from motorists about the roundabouts…:
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DOTD has installed about 30 roundabouts and 100 more have been proposed.

A central Louisiana woman is creating all sorts of waves on social media for her GoFundMe account which benefits a man who had a part in raising LSU’s live mascot. Steve Cotner is from Indiana and said on Facebook he wishes there was a way he could come say his final goodbyes to Mike VI aka Roscoe — before the Bengali-Siberian hybrid tiger succumbs to cancer. Jeri Guinn of Pineville said Steve’s story touched her. The help Steve Reunite with Mike VI GoFundMe raised over $3000 in 3 days.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler has unveiled a very special “I Voted” sticker..:
Cut 3 (20) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The Department of Children and Family Services announces they’ve received federal approval for a second round of disaster food stamps for the 11 hardest hit parishes by the August flooding. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says there is a history of getting additional aid from their federal partners after really big disasters, but typically not this many parishes are included.
Cut 8 (10) “so many”

The Secretary of State’s Office has created a new way to get people out to vote in the November 8th presidential election. A new “I voted” sticker features the Louisiana Blue Dog in front of an American flag. The late blue dog artist’s wife Wendy Rodrigue says they searched within what George had already designed and found a solution.
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Today is the last day to register to vote.

 
A new state taskforce aims to put a stop to opioid abuse in Louisiana. Bob Johannessen with the Department of Health says the goal of this commission is to have recommendations for the legislature by February. He says they’re working to improve communications between physicians to avoid over prescribing.
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Johannessen says patients who are over prescribed these medications often build up a tolerance, which leads to addiction.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation launches a roundabout safety campaign as the state is introducing more of these intersections on our roadways. DOTD Spokesperson Rodney Mallet says motorists slow down, but don’t stop when entering a roundabout so it helps will congestion. He says this type of intersection is safer than a stop light.
Cut 11 (09) “T-bone.”