A female sperm whale has been found on Grand Isle, the third of the endangered species found on Louisiana beaches this year. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

Lovebugs are taking over the summer. Halen Doughty has more on why….

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

______________________________________

Tomorrow the Louisiana Board of Ethics will decide the fate of a state lawmaker who used campaign dollars to feed a gambling addiction. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

___________________________________________________

A third sperm whale has been found stranded off the Louisiana coast. State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Mandy Tumlin says they are working to determine the cause of the increase in dead animals washing onto Louisiana beaches. She says an autopsy will soon be conducted on this mammal found beached on Grand Isle.

Cut 4  (10) “formation”

This latest sperm whale is a female and is one of five of the endangered species found in the northern Gulf of Mexico over the past year. Tumlin reminds the public to be cautious if they find a beached marine mammal and immediately contact authorities. She says never attempt to push a beached animal back into the water.

Cut 5  (09)  “is safe”

Tumlin says this was the largest sperm whale to become stranded thus far. She says a necropsy of the animal helps to determine the cause of death, especially to prevent the future deaths of these endangered species.

Cut 6 (10) “of death”

________________________________________________________

Many Louisianans have likely noticed a serious uptick in the amount of lovebugs we’re seeing. LSU-Shreveport Associate professor of Biological Sciences Beverly Burden says the relatively mild summer can be to blame for this. She says these last few months are wetter and cooler than we typically see this time of year.

Cut 7 (10)  “moist soil”

Burden says while the lovebugs are a major nuisance….

Cut 8 (10) “recyclers”

Burden expects the population to decline in the next 10 to 14 days. But she reminds motorists to take extra care of your cars during this time because they can cause extreme problems.

Cut 9 (11)  “overheat”

____________________________________________________

Rural parishes in Louisiana are struggling more than major cities to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Linda Meredith is the research and development manager for the advocacy group HEROES. She says rural regions account for 15 percent of the HIV/AIDS cases in the state.

Cut 10 (08) “at diagnosis”

Meredith adds the mortality rate is 1.6 times higher in northeast Louisiana than near major cities. Addressing the epidemic has been difficult because funding is tight, especially in the poorest corner of the state. She says there’s only one treatment facility in the entire northeast corner of the state.

Cut 11 (09) “treatment”

Louisiana ranks first in the country for new HIV infections. While improvements are being made in the metropolitan areas of the state, not much progress has been made in rural areas. She says what’s happening in major cities is vastly different from the trend in northeast Louisiana.

Cut 12 (09) “one percent”

__________________________________________________________

A state lawmaker is facing disciplinary action from the state ethics board after using campaign money to feed his gambling addiction. Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says medication he took for Parkinson’s disease caused the sudden addiction in 2012, as he was not a compulsive gambler before.

Cut 13 (12) “caused it”

A class action lawsuit tied 250 patients taking the same drug to sudden gambling addictions. The Ethics Board will decide Friday what action to take against the legislator. Richard says he’s prepared to accept responsibility for his actions.

Cut 14 (10) “happen to me”

Between 2012 and 2015, Richard spent $37,000 from his campaign fund on gambling before getting off the drug a year ago. Richard says he’s already agreed to pay back the money to his campaign account.

Cut 15 (09) “it’s terrible”

The term limited representative adds he’d like to finish out the remaining two years of his term, if the board agrees. The story was first reported by Jeremy Alford of LaPolitics.com.

______________________________________________________________

The Ragin Cajuns won their season opener over Southeastern Louisiana 51-48. UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says he would like to see fewer points given up this Saturday against Tulsa, who averaged 43 points a contest last season….

Cut 16  (20)  “what they do”

Cajuns starting quarterback Jordan Davis was 12-of-23 for 162 yards and one touchdown. Hudspeth on what he expects from Davis in Week 2….

Cut 17 (19)  “each week”

__________________________________________________________

ULM will face a true freshman at quarterback on Saturday when they visit Florida State. Six-foot-five James Blackman replaces the injured Deondre Francis. Warhawks Coach Matt Viator expects the Seminoles to run a similar offense that was used in the season opening loss to Alabama

Cut 18 (11) “to approach it” 

ULM lost its season opener 37-to-29 to Memphis. The Warhawks had four turnovers in the defeat and Viator wants his team to do a better job at protecting the football….

Cut 19 (18) “need to”

______________________________________________________________

LSU forced just one turnover in its 27-0 victory over BYU. Linebacker Devin White says the goal is to create multiple turnovers in every game…

Cut 20 (24)  “the ball” 

Governor John Bel Edwards is looking to end a provision that prohibits disaster victims who applied for SBA loans from getting recovery grants. His spokesperson Richard Carbo says the problem is that FEMA almost insists that homeowners take out a loan without telling them what it will mean down the road.

Cut 13 (08) “to pay back”

Carbo says they’re pushing to get disaster victims access to any funding that’s available.

Gas prices are finally levelling off as more Texas refineries come back on line. Patrick Dehaan with GasBuddy says the statewide average jumped 16 cents, but that’s still lower than the national hike of 21 cents.

Cut 11 (10) “unscathed”

He says Louisiana is already seeing subtle decreases.

The TOPS Task Force meets for the first time today to discuss the future of the scholarship program. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (25) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The woman accused of shooting a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agent was sentenced to 20 years in prison on separate charges. Amethyst Baird of Monroe got 10 years for possession of stolen items and 10 more for a second methamphetamine possession charge. Baird is also accused of shooting LDWF Agent Tyler Wheeler five times during a traffic stop in January.

Governor John Bel Edwards is pushing for changes in the federal disaster grant program…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Jennings Senator Blade Morrish says the TOPS Task Force met for the first time today, where discussions on the future of the program kicked off..:
Cut 4 (07) “on it”
Morrish says they want to see where TOPS is going, what needs to be done, and what the legislative intent is of the scholarship program.

Major refineries in Texas are starting to come back online, and gas prices across the nation are finally starting to level off. Senior Petroleum Analyst with GasBuddy.com, Patrick Dehaan, says it seems like prices have started to peak in Louisiana around the $2.40 mark…:
Cut 10 (05) “plateau”
Louisiana saw a 16 cent increase at the pump over the last week.

A new study finds that, though Millennials have been dubbed lazy by some, the generation actually just wants to start their own business..:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Hurricane Irma is expect to turn to the north a little sooner than the last forecast, but it may not be enough to spare the Florida peninsula of hurricane-force winds. NHC Meteorologist David Zelinsky says there is a mid-level trough that is causing Irma to turn:
CUT 7 (04) “actually occur”
Zelinsky says atmospheric conditions and sea surface temperatures will likely keep the storm a major hurricane as it heads towards the Bahamas and southern Florida.

Major refineries in Texas are starting to come back online, and gas prices across the nation are finally starting to level off. Patrick Dehaan, Senior Petroleum Analyst with GasBuddy.com, says Louisiana saw a 16 cent increase over the last week..:
Cut 10 (05) “plateau”
Today’s statewide average is $2.39.

In the wake of devastating storms with more on the way, Governor John Bel Edwards hopes to change the way disaster grants are awarded to impacted homeowners. Richard Carbo with the governor’s office says SBA loans are the only funding available immediately after a disaster, but they may not be the best option…:
Cut 12 (11) “Restore Louisiana program”
Carbo says the governor is pushing to end that provision and allow disaster victims to receive any assistance that’s available.

The National Hurricane Center says the eye of Cat-5 Irma is closing in on the Virgin Islands, but most models still show it staying away from Louisiana. NHC Meteorologist says David Zelinsky says the 5 day cone of probability currently shows Irma impacting Florida…:
CUT 6 (11) “does shift”
He says it’s a good idea not to not focus on the exact forecast track, especially at the longer ranges.

Governor John Bel Edwards is urging Congress to clear a road block that has touched thousands of homeowners who flooded in Louisiana over the past year, and could also impact Texans as they recover from Hurricane Harvey. Currently, residents are blocked from using federal assistance money to pay off SBA loans that they take out after disasters. But Edwards says removing that restriction would provide badly needed relief for people rebuilding their lives.

Today the TOPS Task Force is meeting for the first time, as state leaders take a closer look at the scholarship program. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish authored the legislation that created the group. He says almost no changes have been made to TOPS in the past 20 years, but a lot has changed in higher education…:
Cut 3 (11) “and we do now”
The task force will meet twice a month for the next four months before issuing their report in February.

Gas prices continue their rapid climb throughout the nation, and in Louisiana jumped another 3 cents from the prior day to 2.39 for a gallon of regular, but that should start to level off soon. AAA says the climb is due to Hurricane Harvey shutting down some Texas refineries, which are slowly but surely starting to come back online.

State Climatologist Barry Keim says Hurricane Irma should be Florida’s problem not Louisiana’s. He says there couldn’t be better timing as a cold front moving across the state but it’s very unfortunate for the Sunshine State.
Cut 4 (10) “incredible conditions”

Keim says Irma should pass just north of Cuba as a major hurricane.

The state Department of Corrections is looking into new safeguards to prevent work release inmates from escaping. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Adult Services, Perry Stagg, says work release in invaluable to inmates, many of who get out of jail in less than a year. He says even though there is a risk associated with convicted felons, the department sees the benefit of this rehabilitation.
Cut 12 (09) “do that”

Survivors of Hurricane Harvey are heading home as shelter’s in Alexandria and Shreveport are closing. Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says authorities in Texas are ready to bring their residents back into the state.
Cut 13 (10) “was feasible”

A study out of America’s Small Business Development Center finds half of all millennials plan to start a small business within the next three years. But DeRon Talley with the Louisiana S-B-D-C says one road block young people face is a lack of knowledge when it comes to being their own boss. He says millennials feel they are tech savvy but don’t know how to turn that into a job.
Cut 9 (11) “to go”

Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, made its first landfall in the islands of the northeast Caribbean. But State Climatologist Barry Keim says there is a cold front moving over Louisiana today which looks to mean nice weather for us…:
Cut 6 (10) “low 80s”
But he says it’s not good news for Florida which could face “direct impact,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Harvey survivors sheltering in Louisiana are heading back home, as DCFS is closing the shelters in both Shreveport and Alexandria. Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they began the sheltering operation with one goal in mind…:
Cut 15 (11) “first class experience”

Fewer work release inmates are walking off their job sites, and the state department of corrections hopes to continue that trend with new safeguards:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Two of four State Police troopers connected to a questionable “side trip” while driving halfway across the country to attend a conference received minor discipline, according to a report by the Baton Rouge Advocate. They said the drive cost LSP thousands of dollars in unnecessary overtime. The troopers received letters of reprimand and counseling, according to the report.

A cold front pushing its way through Louisiana today is bringing much nicer weather and keeping Hurricane Irma away from the state. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the storm will maintain its strength as it closes in on Florida. But he says conditions will change as Irma begins to enter the Gulf late Saturday or early Sunday…:
Cut 5 (10) “protect Louisiana”
Keim says the storm certainly bears watching, because things can change, but for now Louisiana appears to be in the clear.

The state department of corrections is exploring new safeguards to prevent work release inmates from escaping. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Adult Services, Perry Stagg says they are looking for ways to improve public safety and oversight of their operations…:
Cut 11 (08) “based on that”

Millennials seem to get a bad rap in the workplace, but a new study finds the generation earns to be their own boss. America’s Small Business Development Center, or SBDC, found half of all millennials plan to start a small business within the next three years. DeRon Talley, with the Louisiana SBDC, says the study also found that 45 percent of millennials say capital is the biggest barrier to becoming an entrepreneur…:
Cut 8 (10) “and debt”
He says Millennials have great, innovative ideas…but don’t know where to start.

Hurricane Harvey survivors sheltering in Louisiana are heading back home. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says about 700 Texans have already started the journey, and they’ll be greeted once they cross the state line:
Cut 14 (11) “with them”

A cold front could push Hurricane Irma away from Louisiana, while bringing much cooler weather. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Gas prices continue their rapid climb throughout the nation, and in Louisiana jumped another 3 cents from the prior day to 2.39 for a gallon of regular. AAA says that’s 21 cents more than the prior week. The climb is due to Hurricane Harvey shutting down some Texas refineries, which at its peak the storm shuttered 27 percent of US processing capacity.

Hurricane Harvey survivors sheltering in Louisiana are heading back home, as the Department of Children and Family Services is closing the shelters in both Shreveport and Alexandria. Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says Texas authorities are ready to welcome residents back to the Lone Star State..:
Cut 13 (10) “was feasible”
Walters says they have been loading families onto nice coach buses for the trip to the new shelter in Dallas.

Millennials have been called everything from lazy, to self entitled, to passionate — but a new study finds it’s best to call them entrepreneurs. America’s Small Business Development Center, or SBDC, found half of all millennials plan to start a small business within the next three years. DeRon Talley, with the Louisiana SBDC, says they want to be their own boss…:
Cut 7 (09) “with the workforce”
He adds the generation is facing roadblocks due to lack of funds.