Today on this second day of the qualifying period for the October 24th elections, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden became the first Democratic candidate for the Louisiana Lt. Governor’s job. He joins Republicans Elbert Guillory, Billy Nungesser and John Young.

All four major candidates for governor qualified yesterday. A new Triumph Campaign poll shows Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards tied with around 30% support. Pollster Justin Brasell says they are polling strong in key voting blocks…:
CUT 3 (12) “everybody else”
Republicans Jay Dardenne and Scott Angelle have 13 and 14 percent support respectively.

Saints Coach Sean Payton saw Drew Brees tackle an alligator on NBC’s Running Wild on Monday. So would he ever let his star quarterback do such a thing again?…:
CUT 11 (05) “no(3x)”

President of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Chas Roemer, announces he won’t be running for re-election on October 24th. The announcement comes on the second day of qualifying for the races. Roemer, who is the son of a former governor, did not say why he wouldn’t be running again for the BESE District 6 seat which represents the Baton Rouge area.

AT&T has plans to bring widespread internet access to remote areas in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Not a lot of movement in the governor’s race thus far according to the last poll by Triumph Campaigns. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

And speaking of polls there are a couple of new ones out there showing Governor Bobby Jindal gaining support in Iowa in his bid for the White House. An NBC/Marist Poll shows 4 percent of Iowa caucus-goers plan to vote for Jindal for President which is up 1 percent from July. There is also a Gravis Poll which shows Jindal at 5 percent.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is commending one of their agents who rescued 8 people from the Gulf over the weekend in Vermilion Parish when a horrible storm blew through. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says Sgt. Nicholas Guillory got a call about a vessel which began taking on water near Pecan Island. He says the agent then made his way out there as quickly as possible in conditions that were extremely hard to navigate because of the storm…:
CUT 13 (08) “into his vessel”
He says in all eight people were rescued and three vessels towed.

14th ranked LSU is getting ready to face 25th ranked Mississippi State on Saturday night in Starkville. The Bulldogs have been tough to beat at home the last couple of years as they’ve recently expanded their stadium, plus there’s thousands of cow bells going off during the game. But Coach Les Miles is not worried about the cowbells..:
Cut 16 (07) “cowbells”
Kickoff is at 8:15pm.

In the latest Triumph Survey on the governor’s race, Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards are each polling around 30%. Republican Scott Angelle is polling at 14 percent and Jay Dardenne at 13 percent. Pollster Justin Brasell says 11% are undecided and with more than six weeks to go, there’s still time for Dardenne and Angelle
CUT 5 (08) “really resonating”

More candidates have filed paper work today during the second day of qualifying for the October 24 election. Secretary of State Tom Schedler didn’t have to go far to sign up this morning in his re-election race. His only opponent so far is Chris Tyson. Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden also qualified today as a democrat in the race for Lt. Governor. His Republican opponents, Elbert Guillory, John Young and Billy Nungesser signed up Tuesday. Qualifying ends at the close of business tomorrow.

Good news for those living in rural areas in Louisiana, yet struggle to get good internet service. AT&T says than plan to expand broadband to almost 75,000 businesses and homes in small towns over the next six years. Spokesman Rick Demint says this is a very important opportunity for those living in areas without access to internet…:
CUT 7 (09) “to do it”
Demint says AT&T says this will fill in the blanks in terms of areas where services aren’t currently available.

Saints Coach Sean Payton is not happy with his quarterback after watching Monday night’s telecast of NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In the episode, Drew Brees jumped on a live crocodile and stabbed it. Payton says he thought Brees was going to be in some sort of “Sea World” type atmosphere and not the Panama wilderness…
cut 10 (05) “…news to me”
When asked if he would let Brees take part in a similar thing again, Payton said no, no, no.

There’s a new poll on the governor’s race which doesn’t reveal many surprises. The Triumph survey shows Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republican David Vitter in a statistical tie with 31.4 and 30.6 percent respectively. Pollster Justin Brasell says they’re both getting support from their parties…:
CUT 4 (07) “Democrat voters”
Republican Scott Angelle is polling at 14 percent and Jay Dardenne at 13 percent.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says one of their agents rescued 8 people from the Gulf of Mexico in Vermilion Parish. Adam Einck says, on September 6th near the point where Rollover Bayou meets the Gulf, a huge storm came up out of nowhere producing a lot of wind, rain and high seas…:
CUT 12 (11) “vessels as well”
They commend the brave agent, Sgt. Nicholas Guillory.

AT&T has plans to bring widespread internet access to remote areas in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Forecasters are urging high school football fans to keep an eye on the weather. They say to close the week, southern Louisiana could be in for similar storms that forced the cancellation of the LSU/McNeese game. The chance of rain along I-10 Thursday and Friday nights is 60% according to the National Weather Service. They say a cold front is expected to stall over North Louisiana contributing to rainy conditions in the south.

Affiliates, please note the change in the second story of the 12:30 newscast. The previous story reported on a man who was missing but has since been located. The audio has also been updated on our website.

The latest Triumph Campaigns poll doesn’t show a lot of change in the governor’s race. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says one of their agents rescued 8 people from the Gulf of Mexico in Vermilion Parish. They say on September 6th, a vessel began taking on water near Pecan Island, and as the agent was on his way there, he rescued a man in mud up to his waist in the pouring rain. He then saw two other people he got into his boat, then went to the original call and saved three more. In total the agent saved 8 people that day.

Nearly three million people watched the telecast of NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls which featured New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. One person who was surprised by the Monday night episode was Saints head coach Sean Payton. Payton says the show was a lot different than what was described to him…
CUT 9 (08) “pretty unbelievable”
As part of the episode, Brees, with the help of Grylls, jumped on the back of a live crocodile and stabbed it. Payton isn’t too happy about it.

The Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office says it has concerns over alcohol use at Muddy Bottoms ATV Recreation park where two people died over the weekend. Toxicology reports from the bodies are pending, but authorities say they plan to look at alcohol policies at the off-roading site.

The latest Triumph Campaigns poll doesn’t show a lot of change in the governor’s race. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is looking for a United States Homeland Security officer who has gone missing from Houma. They say a family member contacted them this week and reported that 40-year-old Stadford Burnham was nowhere to be found. A release indicates Burnham hasn’t been to work since August 31st. Anyone with information concerning Burnham’s whereabouts is urged to contact authorities.

Nearly three million people watched the telecast of NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls which featured New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. One person who was surprised by the Monday night episode was Saints head coach Sean Payton. Payton says the show was a lot different than what was described to him…
CUT 9 (08) “pretty unbelievable”
As part of the episode, Brees, with the help of Grylls, jumped on the back of a live crocodile and stabbed it. Payton isn’t too happy about it.

The Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office says it has concerns over alcohol use at Muddy Bottoms ATV Recreation park where two people died over the weekend. Toxicology reports from the bodies are pending, but authorities say they plan to look at alcohol policies at the off-roading site.

The latest Triumph Campaigns poll on the governor’s race shows that voter preference hasn’t changed significantly. The survey shows Democrat John Bel Edwards with 31.4-percent, and Republican David Vitter with 30.6-percent — a statistical tie for the lead. Pollster Justin Brasell says the two are beginning to claim key voting blocks…:
CUT 3 (12) “everybody else”
The two other Republicans are running a distant third and fourth with Scott Angelle polling at 14-percent and Jay Dardenne at 13-percent.

According to US News & World Report’s 2016 rankings of the nation’s top colleges, LSU was ranked NO. 129, holding steady from the previous list. Tulane was the only Louisiana university to make the top 100, coming in at No. 41. Louisiana Tech improved its ranking over last year to 199.

AT&T announces plans to provide internet access to almost 75-thousand rural Louisiana businesses and homes over the next six years. Director of External and Regulatory Affairs Rick Demint says they’ll be getting almost 28 million dollars from the federal government and AT&T will also provide financial resources…:
CUT 6 (10) “rural areas”
He says it might be a while before everything is in place, but help from the federal government is making it possible to get done.

The State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating a blaze in Calcasieu Parish which ripped through a home Tuesday afternoon and claimed the life of a Vinton woman. They say firefighters responded to the blaze then later discovered the lifeless body of 65-year-old Susan Deconge. A neighbor told investigators they saw the victim run inside the phone in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, but never came out.

The three major Republican candidates in the Lt. Governor’s race have qualified for this fall’s election. Opelousas state Senator Elbert Guillory, Jefferson Parish President John Young, and Former Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser filed their paperwork Tuesday morning. Nungesser says he looks forward to collaborating with people statewide to keep the state’s tourism industry strong…

cut 9 (09) “it happen”

Democrat Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden is expected to qualify this afternoon.

Two new polls show Governor Bobby Jindal’s presidential campaign gaining more support in Iowa. An NBC/Marist Poll shows Jindal receiving four percent of the vote and a Gravis Poll has him at 5 percent. Gravis Marketing President Doug Kaplan says Jindal still has to make a move. He says in the past other low ranking candidates were able to rise to the top in Iowa…

cut 12 (07) “or Santorum”

The Iowa caucuses will be held February 1st.

State Police say a two-vehicle crash in Lafourche Parish has left one man dead and another seriously injured. They say 63-year-old Steven Galliano of Cut Off was backing his SUV out of a driveway on US 90 when he pulled into the path of a car driven by 45-year-old Keifer Bonvillain of Houma. The car struck the SUV on the driver’s side. Galliano was pronounced dead at the scene. Bonvillain was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. The crash investigation is ongoing.

50 years ago today Hurricane Betsy made landfall in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more on the devastating storm…

cut 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Three men have signed up to be the state’s next Lieutenant Governor. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Natchitoches Police Department is investigating the shooting death of a teenager. They say 17-year-old DeMarcus Pye was found lying in a ditch suffering from two apparent gunshot wounds. Pye, a 10th grader at Natchitoches Central High School, was pronounced dead at the scene. It’s reported that the shooting occurred after a fight broke out near where Pye was found. The police investigation is ongoing and they believe arrests may be forthcoming.

Hurricane Betsy made landfall in Louisiana 50 years ago today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says forecasters knew the storm was coming, but not many residents were prepared to leave New Orleans…

cut 5 (10) “that great”

He says Betsy was the signature storm of New Orleans and a turning point for the city up until Hurricane Katrina.

LSU announces its refund plan for those who had tickets to the cancelled McNeese State game. Brian Broussard, head of the LSU athletic ticket office, says if you’re a season ticket holder or purchased the tickets through LSU with a credit card, you will automatically be issued a refund on your credit card account by September 30th. He says Athletic Director Joe Alleva believes a refund is the right thing to do in this case…

cut 15 (08) “we could”

If you paid by cash or check through LSU, you’ll need to show proof of purchase.