The White House has approved 8.6 million dollars for Louisiana in disaster relief following the impact of Tropical Storm Arthur. Governor Landry had requested the assistance for Pointe Coupee, St. Tammany, Avoyelles, Terrebonne, St. Landry, and Lafourche Parishes.

Meanwhile the Louisiana Department of Insurance are in Avoyelles helping residents impacted by flooding from the historic rainfall the tropical system brought with it. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says most of the residents did not have flood insurance…:
Cut 7 (10) “14-thousand homes”
He continues to encourage residents to document all damage and submit it through the special website: disaster.la.gov.

A Louisiana sports legend has passed away. Former Southern player and baseball coach Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer.

The University of New Orleans is now LSU New Orleans, as the school officially moves to the LSU system today. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has released body cam footage that shows Reverend Tony Spell calling his neighbor’s son a slur, days after the pastor was arrested in the beating of the 20 year old man. Two days following that widely publicized incident deputies say they were called out on a noise complaint by the neighbor because Spell was mowing his lawn at 4am. That’s when words were exchanged and caught on tape.

Planned Parenthood announced Wednesday it plans to return to Louisiana later this year with a new clinic in New Orleans and telehealth services launching as early as this summer. The move comes after the organization’s two Louisiana clinics closed last Fall due to a lack of federal funding.

Under a law going into effect August 1st, retailers can no longer add extra charges when we pay with a debit card…:
CUT 1 (35) “I’m Andrew Greenstein”

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith could reportedly resign as part of a plea agreement in a criminal case stemming from an alleged assault at a restaurant. Smith is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning. He was arrested June 4 on charges including second-degree battery after authorities say he attacked a blogger and frequent critic. Smith has served as sheriff since 2016. Sources say a deal has been reached, but details are expected to be finalized in court.

The US Senate Primaries will be held Saturday and Secretary of State Nancy Landry says those who early voted seemed to have less questions about the new closed party primary system. She says not everyone’s ballot will be the same…:
CUT 14 (13) “geauxvote.com”
She says there are local propositions in 40 parishes, and 10 will vote in local elections.

Secretary of State Nancy Landry says her office received fewer questions about the new closed party primaries during early voting for Saturday’s US Senate runoffs. Kace Kieschnick has more…:
Cut 3 (34) “I’m Kace Keischnick”

The Louisiana Department of Health says 11 people have become ill, with two being hospitalized after consuming raw milk. LDH says raw milk bypasses the pasteurization process and under Louisiana law may only be sold for animal or pet consumption.

Officials in St. Landry Parish are still working to save homes from floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Arthur. Some residents have already had to evacuate flooded homes and Parish President Jesse Bellard (BELL-ard) says the water keeps rising…:
Cut 4 (11) “getting flooded in”
The storm dumped as much as 30 inches of rain in some areas of Avoyelles Parish and that water is traveling south toward St. Landry.

Republican Senators including Bill Cassidy will meet with President Trump today to discuss items including the Iran Peace deal which Cassidy calls a foreign policy blunder…:
Cut 11 (11) “Strait of Hormuz”

The Mega Millions jackpot rose to $489 million after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night. It’s the second biggest lottery prize of the year so far. The next drawing will be Friday night.

Bill Cassidy and other Republican Senators will meet with President Trump in what political observers say could be a very tense meeting. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 2 (36) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A controversial pastor out of the East Baton Rouge Parish town of Central has been arrested on one count of second degree battery after cops say he beat up his neighbor’s 20 year old son. Tony Spell was widely known in the area for holding services during the Covid 19 pandemic, which is reportedly when the feud began with the neighbors who live across the street from Life Tabernacle Church.

Retail businesses will no longer be allowed to impose a surcharge on customers who pay with a debit card under a new law that takes effect August 1st. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell who authored the legislation says adding the extra fee specifically to debit cards is against federal law…:
CUT 7 (13) “credit cards do”
Businesses found to be in violation must reimburse the debit cardholder.

Saturday is election day and Secretary of State Nancy Landry says even though early voting turnouts were low, those casting a ballot seemed to be more comfortable with the new closed party primary system…:
Cut 13 (14) “they go vote”
The US Senate race will be voted on in every Parish and Registered Republicans will receive a ballot to vote in the Republican primary, and registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance has some important information for those needing to file claims from last week’s torrential rains. Andrew Greenstein reports…:
Cut 3 (35) “I’m Andrew Greenstein”

Eight men have been arrested across Louisiana in a statewide undercover operation targeting suspected online child predators. The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation says all face charges including indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office provided specialized training for officers working undercover online. Agencies from Livingston, Lafayette, Calcasieu, and St. Martin parishes also took part in the operation.

State lawmakers have until 5pm today to vote on Governor Jeff Landry’s proposal to provide public school teachers with a $2,000 stipend. Advocate Education reporter Patrick Wall says lawmakers generally support the payments, but concerns remain because the plan would reduce state funding for public schools..:
Cut 10 (07) “to potential layoffs”
It will take a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate for the Governor’s plan to move forward.

After nearly three years of construction, the I-20 rehabilitation project through Bossier and Caddo parishes is complete. The $128 million project rebuilt every lane and ramp at five major interchanges. DOTD spokeswoman Erin Buchanan says the entire state will benefit from improved infrastructure..:
Cut 6 (09) “investing in that”
The project provided major improvements to turning lanes, travel lanes, shoulders and access points.

The Secretary of State’s early voting report on the US Senate runoffs, covering ballots cast through June 20, shows Republicans well ahead of Democrats in raw totals. Overall, more than 151-thousand people cast early ballots – a decline of almost 40-percent from the May primaries. John Couvillon of JMC Analytics and Polling says the timing of the election had a lot to do with the lower turnout:
Cut 8 (12) “are used to”
Polls open statewide Saturday at 7am and close at 8pm.

If you need to file a claim for damage caused by Tropical Storm Arthur, the Louisiana Department of Insurance has issued some important reminders. Commissioner Tim Temple says one of the most important things you can do is take pictures of everything…:
Cut 15 (07) “dollars potentially damaged”
He says you can submit through damage.la.gov.

After nearly three years of construction, the I-20 rehabilitation project through Bossier and Caddo parishes is now complete. The $128 million project included a full rebuild of every lane and ramp at five interchanges. DOTD spokeswoman Erin Buchanan says those who drive that stretch regularly know how badly it was needed
Cut 4 (08) “long time coming”
She says the work marks the largest investment in the corridor in years.

A Flood Watch remains in effect today until 3pm for portions of north Louisiana as rounds of heavy rain move through the region. The National Weather Service in Shreveport says localized flash flooding is possible, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Drivers are urged to use caution and never attempt to cross flooded roadways.

State lawmakers have until 5pm today to make a decision on Governor Landry’s plan to provide public school teachers with a two-thousand-dollar stipend. Patrick Wall with The Advocate says districts have warned that reducing their budgets to fund the bonuses would negatively impact operations…:
Cut 11 (07) “the public schools”
It will take a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate for the Governor’s plan to move forward.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance has released new guidance for flood, auto and homeowners policyholders affected by Tropical Storm Arthur. Commissioner Tim Temple says different policies will respond to different types of claims..:
Cut 13 (10) “rising flood waters”
He says the most important thing you can do is document all damage through the website damage.la.gov.

The National Weather Service has now confirmed 11 tornadoes touched down across Louisiana and Mississippi as the remnants of Arthur moved through the region last week. The latest was an EF-1 tornado in Lacombe with winds up to 95 miles per hour. Forecasters say the storms spawned multiple tornadoes across St. Tammany Parish before tracking into coastal Mississippi on the morning of June 18th.

An analyst looks at what early voting numbers tell us about the US Senate runoff election Saturday. Jeff Palermo reports..:
Cut 2 (33) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The tropical disturbance moving up the Texas coast and into Louisiana is expected to dump massive amounts of rain across the state. Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued along the central Gulf Coast, extending from the east Texas coastline to St. Mary Parish…:
Cut 8 (11) “moisture with it”
That’s LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim.

DOTD’s Rodney Mallet says with so much rain, we need to be extra careful on the roads. He says the reason they always push “turn around, don’t drown” is because flash floods are always unpredictable even if you think you’re familiar with a particular road…:
Cut 5 (09) “a regular puddle”
He says if it’s raining hard the best thing to do is just stay put.

School officials expressed concerns Tuesday about funding Governor Landry’s proposed $2,000 stipend for teachers…:
Cut 2 (34) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Cameron Jordan is returning for a 16th and final season as a New Orleans Saint. The one year deal was inked Tuesday and Jordan said pretty much everyone told him to stay…:
Cut 17 (10) “in my corner”
Jordan’s 132 sacks are the most by a player in Saints history and rank 17th in the NFL all-time.

We’ve got quite an active weather pattern headed this way as a tropical disturbance moves inland later tonight. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says the biggest threat is lots of rain…:
Cut 9 (09) “inches or more”

DOTD says we need to be extra careful on the roads. Andrew Greenstein reports:
Cut 1 (35) “I’m Andrew Greenstein”

State lawmakers heard from school districts Tuesday who are concerned about Governor Landry’s plan for a two-thousand-dollar pay bump for teachers. The executive order calls for the state to reduce public school funding by nearly $170 million dollars to cover the cost. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau said most districts have the money and the legislature would have to help those who don’t:
Cut 11 (06) “folks some money”
Lawmakers have until next Tuesday to vote on the order.

A sting operation results in the arrests of ten people, including a St. Mary Parish corrections deputy. Sheriff Gary Driskell says investigators launched “Operation Bear Trap” after getting information that 49-year-old Earnest Ladday (luh-DAY) was bringing contraband into the jail and giving it to certain inmates, allegedly:
Cut 13 (09) “on several people”
No bail has been set for Ladday or his alleged co-conspirators at this time.

Much of Louisiana’s coast is now under a tropical storm warning extending from St. Mary Parish to the Louisiana/Texas line. LSU Environmental Health Climatologist Barry Keim says Potential Tropical Cyclone One is moving directly up the Texas Coast…:
CUT 7 (12) “a tropical storm”
Most models show the system becoming a tropical storm today.

Heavy rainfall and flooding remain the biggest threat, and DOTD is urging you to be careful when venturing out on the roadways. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says it’s called “flash flood” for a reason – it happens so fast, before crews have time to respond…:
Cut 4 (10) “they’re going safely”
He says if you encounter an area of the road covered with water, turn around, don’t drown.

Lawmakers heard from school districts Tuesday with concern over where the money is coming from in Governor Landry’s plan to give teachers a $2,000 stipend. Districts would need to take funds originally allocated for operations to pay for the bonuses, but Caldwell Parish School Board president Gary Cassels told legislators they can’t swing that…:
Cut 10 (10) “to do it”
Lawmakers need a two-thirds vote to approve the governor’s plan by close of business next Tuesday.

Two airmen connected to Barksdale Air Force Base are among the eight people who died in Monday’s B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Family members, friends and fellow service members identified Lt. Col. Greg Watson of Haughton and Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella as being on board the bomber when it went down during a test flight, according to social media posts.