Despite increased costs for…well, everything, Independence Day holiday travel is predicted to be HUGE. More from Kevin Gallagher.
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Attorney General Jeff Landry sent a letter to the Louisiana State Medical Society warning doctors abortion is a crime and it has been since last Friday when the U-S Supreme Court ruled that states have the authority to outlaw abortions. Landry says a judge’s order blocking the state from enforcing an abortion ban has limited reach.

Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in as a U-S Supreme Court Justice today replacing the retiring the Stephen Breyer. The nation’s highest court will determine if Louisiana’s Congressional map approved by legislators is constitutional. U-L-M Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley expects the court to rule that it does not violate the Voting Rights Act…
cut 15 (11) “….stay in effect”

There are 17 new wildlife agents on the job today. They are the most recent graduates of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Law Enforcement Academy. LDWF spokesperson Adam Einck says potential agents undergo a rigorous selection process before they attend the academy.
Cut 10 (10) “…of the training.”
To learn how to become an enforcement agent, go to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website.

Despite high gasoline costs and increased prices for food and lodging, over 47 million Americans are expected to travel this Independence Day weekend. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says that estimate reflects the second-busiest July 4th weekend since the year 2000. He says a great many will be on the highways…:
Cut 7 (11) “…travel industry.”
AAA predicts a 6-percent increase in motorists from 2019 for the four-state region of Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Louisiana will go forward this year with a Congressional election where the map that will determine district boundaries is under review by the U-S Supreme Court. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says this is not the first time there’s been a court battle over Louisiana’s Congressional map…
cut 14 (11) “…for Louisiana.”
Stockley says a ruling from the U-S Supreme Court on Louisiana’s map might not come down until next summer.

After a two-year hiatus, the Essence Festival of Culture returns to New Orleans at full strength this holiday weekend. David Grubb has more…
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m David Grubb.”

A hearing scheduled for today in U-S District court was canceled as a result of the U-S Supreme Court putting a hold on a lower court ruling that said the Legislature must draw a map that allows for a Black candidate to represent two of the state’s six congressional districts. House Governmental Affairs Chairman John Stefanski says they were waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in…
Cut 6 (05) ” ..go through.”
The Secretary of State is moving forward with using the map approved by the Republican-led Legislature for the fall Congressional elections.

Delhi police are investigating a potentially disturbing incident at Delhi High School, where a noose was found at the school. Chief Roy Williams…
Cut 9 (11) “…and a suspect.”
Williams says the suspect claims it was unintentional, but he says the local D-A will determine if a hate crime charge is warranted.

Louisiana’s three abortion clinics are open as a result of New Orleans judge putting a temporary restraining order on a Louisiana law that bans most abortions because of the reversal of Roe Versus Wade. Katahaleen Pittman is the director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport and she says they are trying to squeeze in as many appointments as they can before a July 8th court hearing…
cut 4 (11) “…the staff”

The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is falling slowly, down to $4.42 a gallon. The price at the pump has dropped eight cents in the last week. Redman says a dip in demand has led to lower oil prices…
cut 14 (10) “….a break”
Redman says another surge in prices is expected in late July when some refineries shut down for needed maintenance.

A hearing scheduled for today in U-S District court was canceled as a result of the U-S Supreme Court putting a hold on a lower court ruling that said the Legislature must draw a map with two majority Black districts. It’s not the final decision on the merits of Louisiana’s case but Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields is hopeful SCOTUS will find the Congressional map used for this fall’s election violates the Voting Rights Act…
Cut 8 (07) “…the plaintiffs.”
Republican legislative leaders are confident the map they overwhelmingly approved in February will be accepted by the high court.

Authorities are investigating a noose found inside the auditorium at Delhi High School in Richland Parish. Delhi Police Chief Roy Williams says a contractor performing renovation work is the suspect…
cut 11 (11) “….touchy situation”
Williams says once he completes an investigation he’ll turn the information over to the local D-A to determine if the suspect should be charged with a hate crime.

Since a temporary restraining order was placed on Louisiana abortion trigger laws, abortions can continue in the state. Director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport, Kathaleen Pittman says they are fully booked with appointments and not making any past a July 8th court hearing on the issue
Cut 3 (09) “…to get in.”
Pittman was a guest on Jim Engster’s Talk Louisiana Radio program.

The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell another penny today to $4.42. That’s down 8-cents from a week ago. But Triple-A fuel analyst Don Redman says another increase in prices could come at the end of July when refineries shut down for maintenance…
cut 13 (10) “….back up”
The current statewide average for a gallon of diesel is $5.35.

The U-S Supreme Court has put a hold on a federal judge’s order that Louisiana must have a Congressional District map where two of the six Congressional districts  favor a Black candidate. House Governmental Affairs Chairman John Stefanksi says the U-S Supreme Court’s action is not a final decision on the merits of the case…

Cut 7 (08) “…next election.”

The Director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport, Kathaleen Pittman was a guest on Talk Louisiana today and when asked about the safety of abortions in the first trimester she said it’s actually much safe due to substandard healthcare. Louisiana has a high maternal mortality rate and the leading cause of death for pregnant women is murder.

Cut 5  (12) “…increased considerably.”

Police are investigating a potential hate crime at Delhi High School. David Grubb has more…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m David Grubb.”  

After a malware attack the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s website is still down as work continues to get the HiRE site back up and running. Call centers however are open to file unemployment claims and LWC estimates that the website should be up and running in the next three days.

Since a temporary restraining order was placed on Louisiana abortion trigger laws Monday, abortions can continue in the state. Director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport, Kathaleen Pittman says since the restraining order they’ve been fully booked with appointments, but they are not making any past July 8th until a hearing on the order is scheduled.
Cut 3 (09) “…to get in.”
Pittman was a guest on Jim Engster’s Talk Louisiana Radio program.

The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is down another penny today to $4.42. Triple-A fuel analyst Don Redman doesn’t expect a huge in surge in prices with the fourth of July holiday coming up….
cut 12 (09) “…statewide”
Redman says prices could climb again at the end of July when some refiniries shut down for some much needed maintenance.

A hearing scheduled for today in U-S District court is canceled as a result of the U-S Supreme Court putting a hold on a lower court ruling that said the Legislature must draw a map that allows for a Black candidate to represent two of the state’s six congressional districts. House Governmental Affairs Chairman John Stefanski says they were waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in…
Cut 6 (05) ” ..go through.”
The Secretary of State is moving forward with using the map approved in February by the Republican-led Legislature for the fall Congressional elections.

Authorities are investigating a noose that was found inside the auditorium at Delhi High School in Richland Parish. Delhi Police Chief Roy Williams says an employee of a contractor performing renovation work inside the auditorium is the suspect…
cut 11 (11) “….touchy situation”
Williams says once he completes an investigation he’ll turn the information over to the local D-A to determine if the suspect should be charged with a hate crime.

Since a temporary restraining order was placed on Louisiana’s abortion trigger laws Monday, abortions can continue in the state. Brooke Thorington has more from the Director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

—

The FBI has opened an investigation into sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans that will look into decades of allegations of abuse, including whether priests took children across state lines to molest them, according to a report by The Associated Press. More than a dozen alleged victims have been interviewed so far.

—

A hearing scheduled for today in U-S District court is canceled as a result of the U-S Supreme Court putting a hold on a lower court ruling that said the Legislature must draw a map that allows for a Black candidate to represent two of the state’s six congressional districts. The high court is considering a similar case out of Alabama and will hold arguments on that case in October, so Louisiana’s case will remain on hold until then. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields, a supporter of a second-majority Black district, is hopeful SCOTUS will find that the approved Congressional map violates the Voting Rights Act…

Cut 8 (07) “…the plaintiffs.”

—

Delhi police are investigating a potentially disturbing incident at Delhi High School, where a noose was found lying on the stage of its auditorium. The suspect is one of the contractors working on renovations at the school, and because of that video cameras within the auditorium were deactivated, leaving no footage of what happened. Here’s Chief Roy Williams.

Cut 10 (10) “…hate crime charge.”

The U-S Supreme Court has put a hold on a federal judge’s order that Louisiana must have a Congressional District map where two of the six Congressional districts should favor a candidate. House Governmental Affairs Chairman John Stefanksi says the U-S Supreme Court’s action is not a final decision on the merits of the case…
Cut 7 (08) “…next election.”
The U-S Supreme Court is also considering a similar case out of Alabama and will hold arguments on their case in October, so Louisiana’s case will remain on hold until then. Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry….
cut 15 (11) “,….here in Louisiana”
The Secretary of State is moving forward with using the map approved in February by the Republican-led Legislature for the fall Congressional elections.

Louisiana’s three abortion clinics are open as a result of New Orleans judge putting a temporary restraining order on a Louisiana law that bans most abortions because of the reversal of Roe Versus Wade. Katahaleen Pittman is the director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport and she says they are trying to squeeze in as many appointments as they can before a July 8th court hearing…
cut 4 (11) “…the staff”

Delhi police are investigating a potentially disturbing incident at Delhi High School, where a noose was found at the school. Chief Roy Williams…
Cut 9 (11) “…and a suspect.”
Williams says the suspect claims it was unintentional, but the chief plans on forwarding the results of his investigation to the local district attorney’s office.

Since a temporary restraining order was placed on Louisiana abortion trigger laws Monday, abortions can continue. In an interview on Talk Louisiana this morning Director of the Hope Medical Center for Women in Shreveport Kathaleen Pittman says all their appointments booked until the July 8^th court hearing and she’s having to turn patients away.

Cut 4  (11) “…the staff.”

A hearing scheduled for today in U-S District court is canceled as a result of the U-S Supreme Court putting a hold on a lower court rulings that said the Legislature must draw a map that allows for a Black candidate to represent two of the state’s six Congressional districts. House Governmental Affairs Chairman John Stefanski says they were waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in…

Cut 6 (05) ” ..go through.” 

Governor Edwards signed into law another abortion-related bill last week; making it a crime for a company to send abortion pills through the mail. Bill author, Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt, who says the so-called “morning after pill” – which is actually usable up to 10 weeks – should only be taken by a woman under a doctor’s supervision…:

CUT 24 (11)      “…with this legislation”

That law takes effect August 1^st.

A Louisiana legal advocates group says they’ll offer help to persons who find themselves facing criminal charges related to abortion. Here’s Fair Fight Initiative founding member David Utter…:

CUT 10(09)      “…legal counsel.”

For more information visit FairFightInitiative-dot org.

The U-S Supreme Court has halted an effort for Louisiana to have two black majority Congressional districts. That means the 2022 Congressional election will use the map approved by the Republican-led Legislature that has one majority Black district out of six. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields has been leading the push for a second majority minority district.
cut 14 (11) “….ruling of the court”
Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry says he’s grateful the Supreme Court ended this legal circus.

Fair Fight Initiative, which is a group of lawyers, say they will provide free legal services for anyone who is charged for participating in an abortion. Attorney David Utter…
cut 12 (09) “….been healthcare”
A New Orleans judge has put a hold on Louisiana’s abortion ban trigger laws.

A law set to get into effect on August first, would make it illegal to send drugs through the mail that can result in an abortion. Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt is author of the legislation…
cut 6 (10) “….with these pills”
The Food and Drug Administration approved the drugs 20 years ago and the U-S Attorney General says states can not ban these drugs.

We are heading into the fourth of July weekend. Todd Tullier with Louisiana Fireworks says so far, sales have been in line with what he’s seen the past few years. He expects with the high price of gas, and the 4th of July falling on a Monday, people may be more interested in some explosive at-home entertainment…..
cut 8 (09) “….do it themselves”
Tullier says the COVID pandemic generated a boost in sales as public gatherings were limited and families were forced to stay home.