Former Governor Edwin Edwards has been moved to hospice but his wife Trina says the 93-year-old is still doing well and is not imminently close to death. Trina says the decision was made after a drop in Edwin’s blood pressure had her bring her husband to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

Cut 4 (11) “…like that.”

Today was LSU’s new President William Tate IV’s first day on the job and he says addressing the school’s ongoing Title IX scandal will be a major priority for the new administration. He says establishing a firm process for handling complaints will be key…

Cut 6 (12) “…prevail.”

Tate replaces former LSU Interim President Tom Galligan, who served in that role since January of last year.

Governor Edwards signs legislation that will gradually redirect up to 300 million dollars in vehicle sales taxes to infrastructure projects. CRISIS Executive Director Scott Kirkpatrick says the long-sought after Mississippi River Bridge will be a priority, but it won’t be the only mega-project on tap…

Cut 10 (12) “…north shore.”

A Sunday evening crash in West Carroll Parish claims the lives of three people, a driver, and two juveniles. Trooper Michal Reichardt says shortly after 9:30, a 2018 Nissan Versa driven by 35-year old Rhona Sanders of Kilbourne failed to stop when it entered LA Highway 17 from Chickasaw.

Cut 12 (10) “…local hospital.”

93-year-old former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards has entered hospice care. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Matt Doyle.” 

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William Tate IV, LSU’s new President begins his first official day in office and says scholarships are the answer to improving the university as a whole. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (31) …I’m Brooke Thorington.  

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Former Governor Edwin Edwards has been moved to hospice but his wife Trina says the 93-year-old is still doing well and is not imminently close to death.

On Talk Louisiana, Trina Edwards told Jim Engster Edwin has been losing some strength in recent weeks and agreed to place himself in hospice care but is still in good spirits.

Cut 3 (11)  “…around.”

Edwards served the first of his four terms in office in 1972 with his final term ending in 1996. He then went to federal prison following a corruption conviction in 2000 and was released in 2011.

Trina says the decision was made after a drop in Edwin’s blood pressure had her bring her husband to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

Cut 4 (11) “…like that.”

Trina says mentally the Cajun Prince is as sharp and clever as ever.

Cut 5  (11) “…cutting up.” 

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New LSU’s new President William Tate IV begins his first day on the job, addressing concerns about Title IX and how to improve the university as a research facility and the athletics department. As the Title IX scandal continues, Tate addressed the issue right of the bat how he plans to handle future complaints.

Cut 6 (12) “…prevail.”

Tate is a firm believer in research and fostering a better teaching environment and says scholarships are key. Tate believes investments in scholarships are an investment in the future of the university.

Cut 7 (09) “…environment.”

In terms of LSU athletics, Tate says the school needs to focus on scholar-athletes. He says not every athlete is going to make it on the professional level.

Cut 8 (10) “…even better.”

Tate replaces former LSU Interim President Tom Galligan, who served in that role since January of last year.

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Governor Edwards signs legislation that will gradually redirect up to 300 million dollars in vehicle sales taxes to infrastructure projects.  CRISIS Executive Director Scott Kirkpatrick says that a new Mississippi River bridge could be a possibility now.

Cut 9 (11) “…the bill.”

While a new Mississippi River bridge will be a major priority, Kirkpatrick says the Capital Region isn’t the only area mentioned in the bill.

Cut 10 (12) “…north shore.”

Kirkpatrick says they don’t yet know what factors will determine which projects get constructed first.

Cut  11 (07) “….first.” 

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A Sunday evening crash in West Carroll Parish claims the lives of three people, a driver, and two juveniles. Trooper Michal Reichardt says shortly after 9:30, a 2018 Nissan Versa driven by 35-year old Rhona Sanders of Kilbourne failed to stop when it entered LA Highway 17 from Chickasaw.

Cut 12 (10) “…local hospital.”

Reichardt says Sander’s vehicle struck a southbound 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by 34-year-old Paden Posey, of Oak Grove. He says Posey was not injured in the crash.

Reichardt says all six in the Versa were not wearing seatbelts. While he cannot says the three victims would have survived the crash if they had been restrained…

Cut 13 (08) “…go anywhere.”

In the northeast section of the state, Reichardt says they’ve now had a total of four traffic fatalities over the holiday weekend. He says while they want you to enjoy the holiday, please do so responsibly.

Cut 14 (06) “…seatbelt.” 

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Cut 15 (08) “…progress” 

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Cut 16 (09) “…soil saturation.” 

During his first day on the job LSU’s new President William Tate IV hammered home the idea that expanding the number of scholarships available is the key to improving the university as a whole.

Cut 2 (31) …I’m Brooke Thorington.  

Former Governor Edwin Edwards has been moved to hospice care but his family says his health is still holding pretty strong. On Talk Louisiana, Trina Edwards, his wife, told Jim Engster that Edwin may be in need of additional assistance but he’s still as charming as ever…

Cut 5  (11) “…cutting up.” 

Infrastructure advocates are celebrating the Governor’s signing of legislation that will gradually shift 300 million dollars a year out of the general fund and into a dedicated fund for building roads and bridges. CRISIS Executive Director Scott Kirkpatrick says mega projects like bridges over the Calcasieu and Mississippi Rivers are noted in the legislation, but they haven’t determined yet how projects will be prioritized.

Cut 9 (11) “…the bill.”

A Sunday evening crash in West Carroll Parish claims the lives of 35-year old Rhona Sanders of Kilbourne and two juveniles who were riding in her car. Trooper Michal Reichardt says in the northeast section of the state they’ve now had a total of four traffic fatalities over the holiday weekend. He says while they want you to enjoy the holiday, please do so responsibly.

Cut 14 (06) “…seatbelt.” 

Former Governor Edwin Edwards is now in hospice care with his family saying he’s not at death’s door yet but he could use better access to quality healthcare. On Talk Louisiana Trina Edwards told Jim Engster the decision was made after a drop in Edwin’s blood pressure had her bring the Cajun Prince to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

Cut 4 (11) “…like that”

William Tate IV took command of LSU today as the schools new President, saying he plans to turn the institution into a widely respected research entity. Tate says there’s a key to building the school’s research reputation and that’s expanding the number of scholarship opportunities…

Cut 7 (10) “…environment.”

Tate replaces former LSU Interim President Tom Galligan, who served in that role since January of last year.

A Sunday evening crash in West Carroll Parish claims the lives of three people, a driver, and two juveniles. Trooper Michal Reichardt says shortly after 9:30, a 2018 Nissan Versa driven by 35-year old Rhona Sanders of Kilbourne failed to stop when it entered LA Highway 17 from Chickasaw.

Cut 12 (10) “…local hospital.”

Reichardt says no one in the Versa was wearing a seatbelt.

Infrastructure advocates are cheering the Governor’s decision to sign legislation that will ultimately dedicate 300 million dollars in general fund money to statewide road and bridge projects. CRISIS Executive Director Scott Kirkpatrick says a new bridge over the Mississippi River in the Capitol Region will be a priority, but it won’t be the only mega project on tap…

Cut 10 (12) “…north shore.”

Former Governor Edwin Edwards has been moved to hospice but his wife Trina says the 93-year-old is still doing well and is not imminently close to death. On Talk Louisiana Trina Edwards told Jim Engster Edwin has been losing some strength in recent weeks and agreed to place himself in hospice care but is still in good spirits.

Cut 3 (11)  “…around”

LSU’s new President William Tate IV began his first official day with a press conference this morning answering questions about the Title IX scandal plaguing the school. As expected, questions about that scandal were the first thing he was asked about.

Cut 6 (12) “…prevail.”

Governor Edwards signs legislation that will gradually redirect up to 300 million dollars in vehicle sales taxes to infrastructure projects.  CRISIS Executive Director Scott Kirkpatrick says that a new Mississippi River bridge could be a possibility now.

Cut 9 (12) “…the bill.”

A zoo inside of the Mall of Baton Rouge is closed after a python reportedly got loose. The mall as a whole remains open but the Blue Zoo has been blocked off while zoo staff and local authorities attempt to find, corner, and catch the non-venomous snake.

Students will soon be able to earn a bachelor’s degree in aviation at LSU-Alexandria.  Taylor Sharp has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Taylor Sharp”

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 Lawmakers have begun receiving ballots asking if they would like to cancel the automatically scheduled veto override session set to begin July 20th. Matt Doyle has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.” 

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Governor Edwards signs a bill by Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt that will begin moving the state to a paper-based election system. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

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LSU Alexandria is launching a new aviation program where students can become commercial pilots without any military experience.  Associate Vice Chancellor and Provost of Academic Affairs Dr. Eamon Halpin says this program was started due to the high demand for commercial pilots.

Cut 4 (08) “…university”

Halpin says this program will lead to a bachelor’s degree as well as a number of flight certifications for students.

Cut 5  (07) “…certificate”

In terms of who can enroll in the courses, Halpin says any student at the University can enroll regardless of age.

Cut 6 (07) “…requirements.”

The planned take-off for the program is Spring 2022.

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Veto override session ballots have been sent out to lawmakers and if a majority of lawmakers in both chambers elect not to return them an override session will begin July 20^th.

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the process for a veto session is in the constitution in that a session is automatically scheduled if even one veto is issued.

Cut 7 (12) “…session”

Some Republican lawmakers recommended those in favor of a veto override session shred their ballots so they are not mistakenly sent in.

Pinsonat says it appears highly likely that the outcry over the Governor’s controversial veto of legislation involving transgender athletes will result in most lawmakers not sending in a ballot.

Cut 8 (10) “…session”

Those ballots are due July 15^th and Pinsonat says it will be public record which lawmakers sent in ballots asking for the veto session to be canceled.

Cut 9 (05) “..law.”

Should the session be held lawmakers would have four days to address the 28 different vetoes issued by Governor Edwards this year.

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Governor Edwards signs legislation that will begin the process of shifting Louisiana from an electronic voting system to a paper-based system.

Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt says her bill will further strengthen the integrity of our elections.

Cut 10 (10) “…machines.”

Under a paper system, voters will receive a paper ballot that they can look at to make sure their vote was tabulated correctly, and that can be later audited by hand should the need arise.

The state is currently in search of new voting machines but Hewitt says this bill directs the Secretary of State to wait until we know exactly what we’re looking for to move ahead…

Cut 11 (11) “…want.”

This commission will first meet on September 1^st and generate a report before the start of 2022. Hewitt says it is unknown right now if the paper system will be available for the 2022 federal elections.

Hewitt says states all around the country that don’t already have a paper trail for their elections are quickly moving in that direction away from strictly electronic records…

Cut 12 (09) “…results.” 

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Tom Galligan’s tenure as interim President of LSU has come to an end with the appointment of Bill Tate IV as the school’s new permanent President. Galligan had a rocky ride between COVID, the Summer of Black Lives Matter, and a Title IX scandal. Galligan says he’s ready for some time off…

Cut 13 (06) “…decompression.”

Galligan took over just before the pandemic got started and says navigating that difficult period was a serious challenge.

Cut 14 (11) “…each other.”

Galligan replaced F. King Alexander who left LSU to take on the same position at Oregon State.

LSU ultimately decided to shut down the campus and shift to virtual learning during the pandemic. Galligan says he was heartened by all the support he received after making some tough calls during that period.

Cut 15 (11)“…really supportive.”

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Lawmakers appear likely to enter a historic, first-of-its-kind veto override session later this month. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says 28 bills were vetoed by the Governor this year but it’s the rejection of legislation banning transgender women from womens’ sports that played the biggest role in dragging lawmakers back to Baton Rouge…

Cut 7 (07) “…day one.”

The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act by Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell received over two-thirds support in both chambers of the Legislature, which if it holds would override a veto.

The World Health Organization recommends vaccinated people return to masking as the Delta variant spreads. State Health Office Dr. Joe Kanter says the CDC hasn’t backed that call in the US because our vaccination rate is so high…

Cut 11 (08) “…vaccinations now.”

State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says a bipartisan infrastructure agreement touted by a group of Senators including Bill Cassidy would be the key to addressing the state’s billions of dollars of backlogged infrastructure needs. Wilson says this infrastructure package is a generational piece of legislation and the greatest investment since the New Deal.

Cut 4 (05) “…invovled”

The Senate and House appear set for a showdown over dueling infrastructure proposals as Friday the House passed a 715 billion dollar infrastructure proposal that includes more climate-related spending than the bipartisan agreement made in the Senate.

It’s been more than 10 months since Hurricane Laura ravaged southwest Louisiana and looks like finally, the feds are sending some real assistance to the region.  Governor Edwards says the state has demonstrated $3-billion in unmet needs from Laura, Delta, and Zeta and was able to get an agreement with HUD on that number…

Cut 12 (05) “…to begin with.”