The Pastor Protection Act passed in the House Civil Law Committee today on a 7-3 vote. The bill now heads to the House floor, with the support of Governor John Bel Edwards. But he says pastors are already protected under Louisiana law.

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Lester Perryman, with the Human Rights campaign, opposes the bill, also questioning why Louisiana needs this legislation.

A bill that would increase the age from 17 to 18 for a person to be prosecuted as an adult was approved by a Senate committee. Criminal justice expert Ed Mulvey says a 17 year-old offender is better off in the juvenile justice system…

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The legislation will now move to the full Senate.

Governor John Bel Edawrds presented his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The proposal has 792-million in cuts to state psending, including a 46-million dollar cut to higher education. Edwards says not only is higher ed receiving looking at another cut in funding, but so are public schools.

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Edwards is calling for a new task force to help develop long term budget solutions.

Many are remembering the life of former LSU and Saints running back Hokie Gajan, who died from cancer at age 56 last night. LSU’s all-time leading rusher Charles Alexander says Gajan always put the team first and never worried about being in the headlines.

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He says Gajan was always eager to be on the football field

Governor John Bel Edwards today told lawmakers that deep cuts would be spread over several state services under the latest budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. The plan says DHH would be reduced by $408 million, TOPS by $183 million, higher ed $46.1 million and 55 million slashed from K-12 public education. Edwards says another special session could come as soon as June 7th.

Many people are remembering the great life of former LSU and Saints running back Hokie Gajan, who passed away from cancer at the age 56 last night. LSU’s all-time leading rusher Charles Alexander played with Hokie for two years in college and says Gajan was the ultimate teammate…:
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Gajan announced he’d been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer near the end of 2015. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The House Civil Law Committee advances the “Pastor Protection Act” today on a 7-3 vote. The bill would allow ministers and clergy members to refuse to conduct a same sex marriage. Lester Perryman, with the Human Rights campaign, raises concern about the potential for backlash — as other religious freedom bills approved in Georgia, North Carolina and Mississippi have received…:
Cut 13 (08) “other states”
Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson says those bills are much broader than his proposal, which is strictly limited to churches and religious leaders..:
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The measure heads to the House Floor.

The Governor’s Office says a more than $1.7 million dollar disaster grant has been given to the state to help provide temporary jobs in the Louisiana parishes devastated by the recent storms and flooding.

Governor John Bel Edwards tells lawmakers the administration’s spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1st contains $792 million dollars in cuts to state spending. He says health care, TOPS and — in terms of education, higher ed is not the only service looking at cuts. Public schools are included…:
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He says they need another special session and it could begin as early as June 7th.

A Senate committee approves legislation that would increase the age to 18 for a suspect to be prosecuted as an adult. Currently, individuals 17 and over are put into the adult criminal system once charged with a crime. Criminal justice expert Ed Mulvey says a 17 year-old offender is better off in the juvenile justice system…:
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The legislation will now move to the full Senate.

More information keeps coming out about the fatal shooting of former Saints defensive end Will Smith. Surveillance video has surfaced that appears to show Smith was involved in a hit-and-run incident with a vehicle driven by the man that is accused of killing him. Cardell Hayes is facing a second-degree murder charge and his attorney has said Hayes was not the aggressor in this incident.

A Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s deputy has been fired following his arrest for allegedly touching a woman in a sexually inappropriate manner while he was on duty. In a release, the sheriff’s office says they received a complaint that Deputy Cody Onxley, while at work, went to the home of the victim under false pretenses and touched her during the encounter. Onxley was charged with sexual battery and malfeasance in office and was terminated from his job.

Governor John Bel Edwards presented his proposed budget for the next fiscal year to lawmakers today, and it contains 792-million dollars in cuts to state spending. Under the administration’s plan, health care and the TOPS scholarship program would see big reductions in state funding. Edwards says only having a third of the money needed to pay for TOPS is another reason why they need a second special session…:
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The governor says a second special session could begin as early as June 7th.

Southern University will hold a candlelight vigil tonight for the two students that were shot and killed outside of a party near the LSU campus. Interim Athletic Director Roman Banks says the 19 year old girls, Annette January and Lashuntae Benton, were student athletes and good kids doing nothing wrong:
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An arrest has been made in connection with the shooting, but nobody has been charged for the murders at this time.

The House Civil Law Committee is hearing testimony at this hour on the “Pastor Protection Act,” which would allow a clergy member or religious organization to deny participation in a same sex marriage. Matthew Patterson with Equality Louisiana believes this bill would expand to any organization with religious affiliations…:
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But supporters say all this bill does is protects a person’s religious beliefs.

The defense attorney in the Will Smith case believes once all of the evidence comes out, his client will be innocent. Cardell Hayes has been charged with second degree murder in the fatal shooting of the former New Orleans Saints player, who was killed after a three-car fender bender turned violent in New Orleans. Hayes’ lawyer is John Fuller…:
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He hopes more details of the incident will come out in a preliminary hearing.

The defense attorney in the murder case of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith believes once all of the evidence comes out, his client will be innocent. Cardell Hayes has been charged with second degree murder in the fatal shooting, stemming from what cops call a road rage incident. Hayes’ lawyer John Fuller hopes more details of the incident will come out in a preliminary hearing…:
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Fuller has filed a motion to preserve all ballistic evidence.

Beloved former Saints and LSU player Hokie Gajan lost his battle with cancer on Monday. He was 56. The longtime Saints color analyst and Baker High alum first announced he had a rare form of cancer in November. Gajan was drafted by the Saints in 1981, and injuries forced him to retire in 1987. But he spent 13 years as a scout for New Orleans and another 16 in the broadcast booth. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The equal pay bill will be heard on the Senate floor this afternoon. It has the support of Governor John Bel Edwards and the matter was a big part of his gubernatorial campaign. Edwards says women in the state earn only 65 cents for every dollar a man makes and that has to change…:
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Business interests strong oppose saying the measure would open up floodgates of litigation.

The Southern University community is mourning after the death of two students. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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A television station in New Orleans has obtained surveillance video which they say shows a vehicle matching the description of the one driven by Will Smith possibly hitting the back of the suspect in his murder’s Hummer before the shooting incident. Cardell Hayes’ lawyer stands by his claims that there was another gun at the scene and Hayes was not the aggressor.

A bill that would allow clergy members and religious organizations to decline to participate in a same sex marriage will be heard in the House Civil Law Committee today. Halen Doughty has more..:
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Longtime Saints radio analyst and a man who had been involved with sports in Louisiana for more than 40 years, Hokie Gajan, died at the age of 56 Monday. Gajan was diagnosed with cancer last year, and his daughter, Kristin Gajan Sell told WWL he’d been moved to ICU over the weekend. She says the outpouring of affection from everyone has been a true blessing…:
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Arrangements are pending.

A bill will be heard on the Senate floor today to address equal pay. Governor John Bel Edwards supports the legislation and says Louisiana comes in dead last in the country when it comes to the wage gap between men and women. He says women in the state earn only 65 cents for every dollar a man makes…:
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A recent study finds Louisiana’s pay gap is costing women close to 11 billion dollars a year.

New Orleans Police say they plan to add a charge to Cardell Hayes in the shooting and injuring of former Saints star Will Smith’s wife, Racquel. Hayes is already charged with second degree murder in the death of Smith. But his lawyer, John Fuller, says the public doesn’t know the full story in this incident. He says this was Hayes’ first encounter with Smith..:
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Fuller stands by his claims that there was another gun at the scene and Hayes was not the aggressor.

Southern University will hold a candlelight vigil tonight for the two students that were shot and killed outside of a party near the LSU campus. Interim Athletic Director Roman Banks says 19-year-old Annette January of Indiana and 19-year-old Lashuntae Benton of Lake Charles were both athletes…:
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One person has been arrested in connection with the case but no one has been charged with the murders.

A bill to address equal pay in Louisiana will be heard on the Senate floor today. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Louisiana sports fans woke up to the news that Hokie Gajan, who played for Baker High, LSU and the Saints — and took pride in the fact that his football career was distinctively Louisiana, lost his battle with cancer Monday at the age of 56. Gajan was diagnosed with cancer just in December of 2015 and was moved to ICU over the weekend after his condition took a turn for the worse. Arrangements are pending.

The defense attorney in the Will Smith case believes once all of the evidence comes out his client will be innocent. Cardell Hayes has been charged with second degree murder in the fatal shooting of the former-Saint, who was killed after a three-car fender bender turned violent in New Orleans. His lawyer is John Fuller…:
CUT 8 (09) “on that night”
He hopes more details of the incident will come out in a preliminary hearing.

Former Saints & LSU star, Hokie Gajan, has succumbed to his illnesses. He was 56 years old. Gajan was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in December of 2015, and he had to miss the final games of last season as he underwent chemo. The Saints color analyst’s daughter, Kristin Gajan Sell, told WWL her father did not get depressed and he remained in good spirits till the end….:
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The House Civil Law Committee will hear testimony today on the “Pastor Protection Act,” which would allow a clergy member or religious organization to deny participation in a same sex marriage. Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson, says the bill should not create a lot of controversy…:
Cut 10 (06) “essential”
But Matthew Patterson with Equality Louisiana says if this law really only pertained to ministers and religious organizations, it would not be necessary because they are already protected under the First Amendment…:
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