A new poll by Southern Media and Opinion Research finds Governor John Bel Edwards’ approval rating is up 13 points since May. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says the governor still faces some hurdles, especially with housing issues after the flooding. But he says this popularity will likely benefit him during the next legislative session…:
Cut 5 (09) “tough issues”
He says Edwards visibility during times of crisis is good for his ratings.

The strange story out of Lafayette continues to get more bizarre. The body that was found in a tool box Tuesday is connected to the naked trespasser who was shot and killed on Fanny St. last week. 23-year-old Alannah Montalvo, the woman in the tool box, is believed to have been in a relationship with the nude man 36-year-old Barrett Farabee….:
CUT 15 (05) “death”
That’s Cpl. Bridgett Dugas with Lafayette PD.

Today is the start of autumn. Emelie Gunn has more on what kind of weather we can expect throughout the season…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Louisiana ranks 34th in the nation in overall highway performance and cost-effectiveness in the new Annual Highway Report published by Reason Foundation. The overall ranking is an improvement over the previous report when the state was ranked 40th. The state is 45th in fatality rate, 40th in deficient bridges, 43rd in rural Interstate pavement condition, 49th in urban Interstate pavement condition, and 25th in urbanized area congestion.

A new poll by Southern Media and Opinion Research finds Governor John Bel Edwards’ approval rating is up, and most voters here won’t vote for Hillary Clinton for president…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Edwards is in Washington, D.C., today continuing the ongoing battle to get federal funding for flood recovery efforts in Louisiana. He says the initial focus remains getting people back into their homes ASAP…:
CUT 13 (07) “with housing”
He’s optimistic this is going to happen.

Troopers are investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash in Webster Parish, involving a school bus filled with students. They say 35-year-old Freddy Bryant of Shongaloo lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line in a roadway and crashed head on into the bus. Bryant and his passenger, 29-year-old Gary Matlock of Plain Dealing, died on scene. The driver of the bus and the 47 children on board were not injured in the crash.

Today is the first day of fall, as we say goodbye to a brutal summer of 2016. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Louisiana had one of the wettest summers on record in 2016 but there will be a shift in that pattern with dryer than normal conditions over the next three months…:
Cut 10 (10) “from August”
He says it’s still going to be hot for the next several days, but our first autumn cool front is right around the corner.

LSU Coach Les Miles says it’s unconscionable that quarterback Brandon Harris got death threats following the Tigers season opening loss to Wisconsin.

Governor John Bel Edwards is back in Washington for the third time trying to get federal aid for the ongoing flood recovery efforts in Louisiana. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The latest Southern Media and Opinion Research poll shows presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, has an unfavorable rating in Louisiana at 60 percent. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat…:
CUT 6 (10) “in his corner”

Summer is over and fall is here! But when can we start to see cooler temperatures?State Climatologist Barry Keim says we just need to sit tight because autumn temperatures are coming soon…:
CUT 9 (08) “temperatures”

The investigation is ongoing in Lafayette parish about a body that was discovered in a tool box on the side of the road. Cpl. Bridgett Dugas says they have connected the victim, Alannah Montalvo, with the naked man who was recently shot and killed while trespassing…:
cut 14 (09) “Fanny Street”
Dugas says Montalvo was in a relationship with the naked trespasser, 36-year-old Barrett Farabee.

The widow of one of the officers who was gunned down in an ambush on cops in Baton Rouge will appear on the Steve Harvey show today. Tonja Garafola, wife of East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s deputy Brad Garafola, will be on the nationally syndicated talk show to remark on the day’s topic: Race and Policing.

A new poll released by Southern Media and Opinion Research finds Governor John Bel Edwards’ approval rating is at 63-percent. That’s a 13-percent increase from May. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says there is a saying by a lot of elected officials, you never let a crisis go by without taking advantage of it. He says that’s what Edwards did by being very visible during the tragic shootings and the flooding…:
cut 4 (10) “wish for”

Edwards is in Washington today to continue to urge support from Congress to get Louisiana badly needed flood aid. He said of his other two visits to D.C. that he’s very optimistic…:
CUT 1 (10) “assistance”

Today is the start of the fall season and Louisianans can expect above average temperatures and below normal rainfall. That’s according to state climatologist Barry Keim. Keim says the basis for this forecast is due to a high probability for a La Nina..:
Cut 8 (08) “the state”
He says we’re still seeing high temperatures but we just need to sit tight because fall weather is coming soon.

LSU is moving forward with plans to grow medical marijuana for the state. They said the plants will be grown off campus in a secure building that has yet to be determined and no students will be involved. A business plan is expected to be ready by the end of the month, and they want to start growing marijuana by January 1.

A new independent poll on the US Senate race in Louisiana finds Republican Treasurer John Kennedy is still in the lead with 17-percent. The Southern Media and Opinion Research survey has Republican Congressman Charles Boustany on Kennedy’s heels at 15-percent. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says the poll shows there are five candidates who can still make the runoff.
Cut 5 (06) “barn burner”

A West Monroe police officer is in the process of being reinstated after being found not guilty of negligent homicide for shooting a man in 2014. Officer Jody LeDoux shot Raymond Martinez, who evidence found to be drunk and belligerent outside of a store. Defense Attorney Mickey Dubose says he was confident LeDoux acted properly….
cut 14 (11) “to fire”

A new study from Triple A finds millions of drivers are wasting their money on premium gasoline. Spokesperson Don Redman says they encourage people to check their car’s owner’s manual to see what kind of gas their car requires. He says 70-percent of vehicles on the road just need regular gas.
cut 10 (09) “your money”

Redman says some high end vehicles do require premium gas because of the way the engine is calibrated and the only differences between regular and premium gas are the octane levels and the price.

Lafayette Police are looking for answers in the case of a woman’s body that was discovered in a tool box. Authorities say the victim, Alannah Montalvo, has a connection with the naked man who was shot and killed while trespassing in the yard of a home on Fanny Street. Montalvo is believed to be in a relationship with the trespasser, 36-year-old Barrett Farabee. Farabee is a suspect in her murder.

A new poll from Southern Media and Opinion Research finds it’s a tight race for U.S. Senate in Louisiana. Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy is still leading with 17-percent, followed by Republican Congressman Charles Boustany with 15-percent. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says Democrat Caroline Fayard is improving in the polls and is up to 11-percent…
Cut 4 (06) “New Orleans”

The poll was conducted from September 15th to the 17th.

The West Monroe police officer who fatally shot a man in 2014 has been found not guilty of negligent homicide and Police Chief Jeff Terrel says they are preparing for Officer Jody LeDoux to return to work. Defense Attorney Mickey Dubose says if convicted, LeDoux faced five years in prison.
Cut 16 (08) “future holds.”

A new app has been developed to help identify the more than 350 caskets that were uprooted in the recent flood in south Louisiana. Don Molino has more…
CUT 2 (26) “I’m Don Molino”

LSU enrollment numbers are in and the Baton Rouge campus has set records. The incoming freshman class is the most academically talented class with composite ACT scores of 25.6 and average GPA of 3.4. The enrollment of African American and Hispanic students is at an all-time high. Louisiana Tech also saw record enrollment numbers. The freshman class topped 2-thousand, which is the largest in the schools history.

A new independent poll on Louisiana’s US Senate race shows its tightening. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A grand jury has rejected murder charges against the two men accused of fatally shooting two Southern University students in April. 25-year-old Brandon Henderson could still stand trial for aggravated assault with a firearm. The grand jury did not take action against 23-year-old Ernest Felton, so right now his charges are in limbo.

Lafayette police are looking for answers after a body was discovered in a tool box. KATC is reporting the naked man who was fatally shot on Fanny Street has a connection to the body that was discovered. Cpl. Bridgett Dugas says they are working to identify the cause of death and how the tool box got on the side of the road.

Cut 13 (04) “the tool box”

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact authorities.

The living were not the only ones affected by the August flood in south Louisiana. Henry Yennie with the Department of Health says over 350 graves were disrupted in at least 8 parishes, and they’ve come up with a solution to get the deceased back to their final resting place.

Cut 6 (09) “the carrier”

Yennie says so far they have identified roughly 15-percent of the caskets that were disrupted in the recent flood.

A new independent poll on the election for US Senate in Louisiana finds a tight race. Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy still leads the Southern Media and Opinion Research survey with 17-percent. But Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says GOP Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany is only two-percentage points back….
cut 3 (10) “…his ads”
Pinsonat says Democrat Caroline Fayard has improving poll numbers as well, as she’s up to 11-percent.

Governor John Bel Edwards is on his way to Washington following his appearance on his Ask The governor radio show. He said on the radio he is optimistic about their requests for federal aid from Congress…:
CUT 1 (12) “assistance”

A six-person jury in Ouachita Parish determined West Monroe Police Officer Jody Ledoux was “Not Guilty” of negligent homicide in the shooting death of Raymond Martinez in December of 2014. Defense Attorney Mickey Dubose says witnesses testified that the homeless man was drunk and belligerent…:
CUT 15 (10) “to surrender”
If convicted, LeDoux faced five years in prison.

State officials are looking at ways unburied caskets could be easier identified following a disaster. Department of Health Program Manager in Emergency Preparedness, Henry Yennie, says they want to implement a barcode system you could scan on a casket with a phone app…:
CUT 8 (10) “these barcodes”
He says following the August floods, only 15% of interred graves have been identified.