The Senate Finance Committee approved a proposed budget for next fiscal year that does not match Governor John Bel Edwards’ wish list. Edwards has asked the Senate to give teachers a two-thousand dollar pay raise, but House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue, the author of the budget bill says a 15-hundred dollar raise is more appropriate…:

CUT 10(10)      “…Southern average.”

The governor also wants $500-million set aside to build a new Mississippi River bridge at Baton Rouge. The Senate approved $300-million.

Deputies in Rapides Parish arrest a Deville man for allegedly pointing a gun at a school bus that had children aboard. The incident happened last Thursday afternoon. Officers say 41-year-old Ray Corbett leveled what appeared to be a pistol at the vehicle. He did not fire. A search of his home found some Air Soft guns, but no real firearms. Corbett was charged with terrorizing and aggravated assault.

There will be a changing of the guard, or more accurately, a changing of the chiefs this morning as Butch Browning, the state’s longest-serving fire marshal, hands the baton to Daniel Wallis – his former right hand man – after 14 years of leadership. Here’s spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue…:

CUT 13(11)      “…state for decades.”

Browning moves on to the position of executive director of the National Association of State Fire Marshalls.

As we return to somewhat of a pre-COVID lifestyle Governor John Bel Edwards says there’s been a slight bump in daily case counts. On Friday the state reported 730 new cases. Edwards says the positivity rate is also increasing…:

CUT 07(06)      “…point-seven-percent.”

He says it still pays to get vaccinated and up-to-date on boosters.

The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Baton Rouge area pastor who refused to stop church services during the governor’s COVID lockdown. Pastor Tony Spell, of the Life Tabernacle Church in Central was arrested for flouting stay-at-home orders. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino on the High Court’s decision…:

CUT 04(11)      “religious institutions”

Spell was arrested in 2020 for violating the Governor’s emergency order limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people. At that time, he said anywhere up a thousand persons might attend services at his church. The governor disagrees with the court’s ruling, but says he’ll abide by it.

State Police in Washington Parish say drunk driving PROBABLY led to a fatal single vehicle crash on state Highway 440, near Mt. Hermon Saturday night. Troopers say 31-year-old Pam Brown, from Kentwood, was driving and ran off the roadway: overturned several times and slammed into some trees. She and her passenger, 16-year-old Jaquan Brown were killed.

As we return to a pre-COVID routine, Governor Edwards says they continue to monitor case counts and positivity rates. Brooke Thorington has more…:

CUT 02(29)      “…Brooke Thorington”

An Abbeville man is dead after his tractor was hit by another vehicle in Vermilion Parish. State Police say Alvin Minnick’s tractor was rear-ended by a pickup as he drove on Highway 167. The impact caused the tractor to overturn, throwing the 64-year-old farmer from the vehicle. The pickup driver received moderate injuries. Charges are pending.

The U-S Department of the Interior is canceling oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf and Alaskan coast due to what it says is a lack of industry interest in drilling near Alaska and conflicting court rulings that have made drilling in the Gulf more complicated. While environmental groups laud the decision Louisiana Oil & Gas President Mike Moncla says it’s disastrous for the state.

Cut 7 (09) “…good for Louisiana.”

Moncla says that the Biden Administration is failing to respond in a time of crisis, with gas prices reaching a record four dollars and forty cents per gallon and consumer prices up 8.3 percent last month from a year ago.

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LSU and Ole Miss will pick up where they left off on Friday after rain put a stop to last night’s game in the bottom of the third with the Tigers trailing 4-2. The teams will complete the series opener starting at 11 am at The Box, with game two to follow 50 minutes after the conclusion. Also starting at 11 am the Division IV state baseball championship between Calvary Baptist and Ouachita Christian.

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An amendment by Republicans led to Oil City Representative Danny McCormick pulling his controversial bill that would have criminalized abortion. LaPolitic’s dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says even with the leak of a possible overturn of Roe v Wade the original bill is considered unconstitutional.

Cut 4  (08) “…race at all.”

Alford says the original bill that would have saddled abortion participants with murder charges will most likely not return for this legislative session since the bill’s criminalization element was removed from the legislation.

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Sunday night should present Louisianans with an ideal view of the lunar eclipse. LSU Astronomy Professor Jeffrey Clayton says it’s a unique occurrence and he highly recommends making plans to stay up a bit later than usual Sunday night. He says as long as you are in a dark location with few clouds you should be able to enjoy the show and you won’t even need a telescope.

Cut 15 (06) “…awesome sight.”

Thursday’s debate on Oil City Representative Danny McCormick’s bill to charge a woman who has an abortion with murder is met with questions of fallout from the issue among the Republican Party in Louisiana. LaPolitic’s dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says it was Republicans who amended the legislation and pointed out the bill could also punish those who use in-vitro fertilization, and that the bill in its original form is unconstitutional.

Cut 3 (10) “….those amendments.”

If the bill had passed as originally written it was poised to be one of the most aggressive new restrictions on reproductive rights in the country.

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Another homecoming in New Orleans as the Saints sign former Lutcher High School and LSU standout Jarvis Landry to a reported one-year deal. In eight NFL seasons, Landry has been named to the Pro Bowl five times and should give a major boost to the Saints’ receiving corp.

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The U-S Department of the Interior is canceling oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf. Though new leases won’t have an impact on current gas prices, since it will take years for them to produce oil, Louisiana Oil & Gas President Mike Moncla says that the President’s strategy doesn’t prepare the country to become more “green”, address the current fuel needs of Americans, or take into consideration the wide range of businesses that will be impacted.

Cut 9 (11) “…of our product.”

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Sunday night should present Louisianans with an ideal view of the lunar eclipse. LSU Astronomy Professor Jeffrey Clayton says the earth will travel between the sun and the moon, and the earth’s shadow should be visible beginning at 9:30 and last a few hours.

A bill that would have charged a woman with murder if she had an abortion was pulled by its author after it was amended to remove criminal charges. The amendment also removed language that would have criminalized in-vitro fertilization. Brooke Thorington has more

Cut 1 (43) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The U-S Department of the Interior is canceling oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf and Alaskan coast due to what it says is a lack of industry interest in drilling near Alaska and conflicting court rulings that have made drilling in the Gulf more complicated. Louisiana Oil & Gas President Mike Moncla says that the Biden Administration is failing to respond in a time of crisis, with gas prices reaching a record four dollars and forty cents per gallon and consumer prices up 8.3 percent last month from a year ago.

Cut 8 (09) “…would do that.”

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Child drownings are on the rise in the state. Louisiana Department of Health regional medical director Martha Whyte warns that drowning isn’t just confined to large bodies of water. For infants and toddlers, there are dangers inside the home as well that adults have to look out for.

Cut 11 (11) “…alone in it.”

A Biden administration decision on oil and gas lease sales is receiving harsh criticism from the petroleum industry. David Grubb has more…:

CUT 02 (40)      “…David Grubb.”

An Arkansas man is arrested for the murder of a Winnsboro woman in a local motel. Franklin Parish deputies say Willie Greenwood fled back to Arkansas, where local cops tracked him down and took him in.

Child drownings are on the rise in Louisiana. Regional medical director Martha Whyte says there were 24 drownings in 2020, a 60 percent jump from 2019, and preliminary data from LDH indicates 25 drowning deaths last year. There have also been several drownings around the state in recent weeks…:

CUT 10 (11)      “…safe around water.”

The state Supreme Court rules in favor of Baton Rouge pastor Tony Spell, who was arrested for refusing to suspend church services during the Governor’s COVID lockdown. The court ruled that violated Spell’s 1^st Amendment rights.

The New Orleans Saints signed former LSU wide receiver and NFL Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry. Landry was released by Cleveland in March, and made five Pro Bowls with the Browns and at Miami. The former Lutcher High standout was a Fighting Tiger from 2011 through 2013.

Louisiana’s energy industry is upset that the Biden Administration cancelled oil & gas lease sales in the Gulf and Alaska. Louisiana Oil & Gas Association President Mike Moncla says the White House is failing to respond in a time of crisis, with gas prices reaching a record $4.40-a-gallon and consumer prices up 8.3 percent from a year ago…:

CUT 08(09)      “…would do that.”

New leases and drilling won’t have any quick impact on current gas prices, since it will take years for them to produce oil.

Child drownings are on the rise in our state. LDH Regional Medical Director Martha Whyte says drownings in and near the home are particularly troubling. She says boating drownings are another matter, and so preventable. Just put everyone in a life vest…:

CUT 12(10)      “…at all times.”

After a Republican lawmaker’s bill to charge women who have abortions with murder fell to defeat Thursday, some wonder if there will be political fallout for the GOP in our state. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says many feel the bill was needlessly harsh and unnecessary, because of a trigger law banning abortion with the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Alford says the bill was gutted of its criminal teeth via amendment…:

CUT 05(09)      “…politically have not.”

Alford says the measure seemed to represent an ultra-right fringe of the Republican Party. The bill was withdrawn from debate by its sponsor, Rep. Danny McCormick of Oil City.

The state Supreme Court has reversed a lower court’s ruling on Baton Rouge pastor Tony Spell, who refused to stop church services during the governor’s COVID lockdown. Spell was arrested and even jailed for it. The High Court ruled the order violated Spell’s 1^st Amendment rights. The Governor’s office says he did what he did to protect public health and save lives.

A Biden administration decision on oil and gas lease sales is receiving harsh criticism from the petroleum industry. David Grubb has more…:

CUT 02(40)      “…David Grubb.”

Three Louisianans are dead and several others injured, after a wrong-way driver on I-40 in Arkansas plowed into a group of motorcyclists Thursday. Arkansas State Police say the victims are a married couple from Slidell and a woman from Terrytown.

Thursday’s debate on Oil City Representative Danny McCormick’s bill to charge a woman who has an abortion with murder is met with questions of fallout from the issue among the Republican Party in Louisiana. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says it was republicans who amended the legislation and pointed out the bill could also punish those who use in-vitro fertilization, and that the bill in its original form is unconstitutional…:

CUT 03(10)      “…those amendments.”

He says the bill was something on which GOP and Democrats could easily agree.

If the skies aren’t cloudy Sunday night, we could all see a total lunar eclipse. LSU Astronomy professor Jeff Clayton says these events were one-upon-a-time considered harbingers of something bad…:

CUT 14(12)      “…as the Babylonians”

He says the eclipse should start around 9:30 Sunday evening.

Debate on Oil City Representative Danny McCormick’s abortion bill that would have charged a woman with murder was pulled from the calendar after an amendment removed criminal charges. It was Republicans who presented the amendment and they also questioned McCormick on the constitutionality of his original bill. Louisiana already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws on the books that would go into effect if Roe V Wade, is overturned. La Politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford was asked if McCormick’s bill is symbolic of a fringe GOP in Louisiana.

Cut 6  (08) “…that amendment.” 

The legislation for all practical purposes is dead for the session but it could be filed again as a resolution however the session timeline might not allow. The bill received national attention because it was poised to be one of the most aggressive new restrictions on reproductive rights in the country if it has passed.

Child drownings are on the rise in Louisiana. Regional medical director Martha Whyte says there were 24 drownings in 2020, a 60 percent jump from 2019, and preliminary data from LDH indicates 25 drowning deaths last year. She says drowning isn’t confined to large bodies of water. For infants and toddlers, there are dangers inside the home also.

Cut 11 (11)  “…alone in it.” 

Sunday night should present Louisianans with an ideal view of the lunar eclipse. LSU Astronomy Professor Jeffrey Clayton says the earth will travel between the sun and the moon, and the earth’s shadow should be visible beginning at 9:30 and last a few hours.

Cut 13 (10) “…very red.”

Clayton says you won’t even need a telescope for the eclipse so make plans to kick back and enjoy nature’s free show.

A bill that would have charged a woman with murder if she had an abortion was pulled by its author after it was amended to remove criminal charges. The amendment also removed language that would have criminalized in-vitro fertilization. Brooke Thorington has more

Cut 1 (43) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The U-S Department of the Interior is canceling oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf and off the coast of Alaska due to what it says is a lack of industry interest in drilling near Alaska and conflicting court rulings that have made drilling in the Gulf more complicated. While environmental groups have lauded the decision Mike Moncla, president of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association calls it a disaster for the state.

Cut 7 (09) “…good for Louisiana.”

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After five consecutive years of decreases in child drowning in Louisiana, the last two years have seen a major uptick in cases. Regional medical director Martha Whyte says there were 24 drownings in 2020, a 60 percent increase from 2019, and preliminary data from the LDH shows 25 drowning deaths in 2021. There have also been several high-profile drownings in recent weeks, increasing the need for awareness.

Cut 10 (11)”…safe around water.”