The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame gets a little bigger this weekend. Becca Dill has more.

Cut 1 (30)  I’m Becca Dill.“

Republicans are taking stock of a contentious series of special sessions that took three attempts this year to come to a resolution Haughton Representative Doddie Horton, who rejected attempts to renew any portion of the one point four billion in expiring taxes, says the state had plenty enough money as is.

Cut 9 (10)  “our means”

Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma.  Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research that showed the numbers indicating prison populations are going down in the state.

Cut 11 (13) “…going to work better.”

The governor says a report outlining the financial savings from the changes will be available sometime next month.

A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016, but PEER General Counsel Paula Dinerstein says the decision was premature.

Cut 14 (08) “…of the species”

Eleven bayou legends will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches this weekend. CEO and President of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, Ronnie Rantz, says Russ Springer began his baseball career at LSU then spent 18 years pitching in the Major League and is also being inducted. Rantz says Springer’s talent is undeniable.
Cut 5 (13) “in the big leagues”

Republicans are taking stock of a contentious series of special sessions that took three attempts this year to come to a resolution. The final deal was a 4.45 percent sales tax, set to start July 1st, that received support from a majority of House Republicans. House GOP Chairman Lance Harris:
.
Cut 8 (07) “every turn”

Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research that showed the numbers indicating prison populations are going down in the state.
The governor says the change has also produced financial savings.
Cut 13 (08) “…this fiscal year.”
The governor says a report outlining the savings will be available sometime next month.

A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016, but PEER General Counsel Paula Dinerstein says the decision was premature.
Dinerstein says the Louisiana Black Bear plays an important role in our state culture and iconography and she emphasizes the importance of its preservation.
Cut 16 (12) “…endangered species act”

Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (27) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
Eleven bayou legends will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches this weekend. CEO and President of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, Ronnie Rantz, says its a strong year, with two wide receivers who were Super Bowl champions, Reggie Wayne of New Orleans and Brandon Stokley of Lafayette.
Cut 4 (12) “in the NFL.”
Republicans are taking stock of a contentious series of special sessions that took three attempts this year to come to a resolution. The final deal was a 4.45 percent sales tax, set to start July 1st, that received support from a majority of House Republicans. House GOP Chairman Lance Harris says they didn’t not what he wanted at the session’s start, but they were able to score a few other wins.
Cut 7 (08) “unnecessary taxes”
A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016, but PEER General Counsel Paula Dinerstein says the decision was premature.
Cut 15 (08) “looking for them.”

Republicans are split on how they view the budget battle that ended with a renewal of a portion of the one point four billion dollars in expiring taxes that threatened to wreck state finances. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) ” I’m Matt Doyle”
Eleven bayou legends will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches this weekend. CEO and President of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, Ronnie Rantz, says its a strong year, with two wide receivers who were Super Bowl champions, Reggie Wayne of New Orleans and Brandon Stokley of Lafayette.
Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research that showed the numbers indicating prison populations are going down in the state.
The governor goes on to say, 7% more of the prison beds are filled with violent criminals. .
Cut 12 (06) “…work to do.”
A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016, but PEER General Counsel Paula Dinerstein says the decision was premature.
Cut 14 (08) “…of the species”

Oregon State won its third national championship in baseball Thursday night with a 5-0 victory over Arkansas in the decisive third game of the College World Series finals.
Underclassmen Adley Rutschman and Kevin Abel powered the Beavers, who needed none of the dramatics on display Wednesday in a ninth-inning rally that denied the Razorbacks their first title in the sport.
LSU football season tickets, in some areas of Tiger stadium, will actually be lowered. According to LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard. The proposal goes before the LSU board of supervisor’s today.
The National Football League has suspended Tampa Bay Quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games this season. One of them is the season opener against the saints. The discipline stems from the league’s investigation of an accusation that Winston groped an uber driver in 2016.
The NFL has also fined former Carolina panther’s owner jerry Richardson 2.75 million dollars after its investigation into sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.

A group of current and former female Texas A&M University students who reported being sexually assaulted and have been disappointed with the school’s handling of their complaints told Outside the Lines they’re hopeful that a private meeting with the school’s top leaders this week will lead to change.
The meeting took place Monday night, about two weeks after two women took to social media to express their frustration with the school’s response to their sexual assault reports. The posts, involving a swimmer and a football player, prompted a public campaign to bring more attention to sexual assault issues at Texas A&M and the formation of a group called the 12thWoman, a nod to the school’s 12th Man tradition.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame gets a little bigger this weekend. Becca Dill has more.
Cut 1 (30) I’m Becca Dill.“
Republicans are taking stock of a contentious series of special sessions that took three attempts this year to come to a resolution. The final deal was a 4.45 percent sales tax, set to start July 1st, that received support from a majority of House Republicans. House GOP Chairman Lance Harris says they didn’t not what he wanted at the session’s start, but they were able to score a few other wins.
Cut 7 (08) “unnecessary taxes”
Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research that showed the numbers indicating prison populations are going down in the state.
Cut 11 (13) “…going to work better.”
A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame gets a little bigger this weekend. Becca Dill has more.

Cut 1 (30)  I’m Becca Dill.“

_____________________________________________

Republicans are split on how they view the budget battle that ended with a renewal of a portion of the one point four billion dollars in expiring taxes that threatened to wreck state finances. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) ”  I’m  Matt Doyle” 

____________________________________________________

Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma.  Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (27) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

_____________________________________________________

Eleven bayou legends will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches this weekend. CEO and President of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, Ronnie Rantz, says its a strong year, with two wide receivers who were Super Bowl champions, Reggie Wayne of New Orleans and Brandon Stokley of Lafayette.

Cut 4  (12) “in the NFL.”

Russ Springer began his career at LSU then spent 18 years pitching in the Major League and is also being inducted. Rantz says Springer’s talent is undeniable.

Cut 5  (13)  “in the big leagues”

Louie Cook, another inductee, served eight seasons as an offensive coordinator for the Ragin’ Cajuns and 32 years as a head coach for three different high school football teams. Rantz says he’s got an impressive resume.

Cut 6 (09) “doesn’t complain about it”

The ceremony is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Natchitoches.

___________________________________________________________

Republicans are taking stock of a contentious series of special sessions that took three attempts this year to come to a resolution. The final deal was a 4.45 percent sales tax, set to start July 1^st, that received support from a majority of House Republicans. House GOP Chairman Lance Harris says they didn’t not what he wanted at the session’s start, but they were able to score a few other wins.

Cut 7 (08)  “unnecessary taxes”

Harris pushed a series of budget transparency bills and spending reform packages that either did not clear the legislature, or were vetoed by the governor. One of his main focuses, Medicaid, saw no major changes this year.

Cut 8 (07)  “every turn”

Despite support from the leadership, not every Republican supported sales tax plan. 24 House members and 6 Senators, mostly conservative Republicans, rejected the final compromise deal that was cut. Haughton Representative Doddie Horton, who rejected attempts to renew any portion of the one point four billion in expiring taxes, says the state had plenty enough money as is.

Cut 9 (10)  “our means”

Horton zeroed in on one area of frustration for many fiscal hawks in the lower chamber, Medicaid. She says she’s disappointed that further cuts were not implemented into the program that has grown significantly since Governor Edwards accepted the Medicaid expansion.

Cut 10 (10)   “we budget.”

____________________________________

Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma.  Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research that showed the numbers indicating prison populations are going down in the state.

Cut 11 (13) “…going to work better.”

The governor goes on to say, 7% more of the prison beds are filled with violent criminals.  Reducing incarceration rates was a marked as a priority for the governor during his campaign.  Edwards says there is satisfaction with the direction of the change, but there is still more progress to be made.

Cut 12 (06) “…work to do.”

The governor says the change has also produced financial savings.

Cut 13 (08)  “…this fiscal year.” 

The governor says a report outlining the savings will be available sometime next month.

___________________________________________________

A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016, but PEER General Counsel Paula Dinerstein says the decision was premature.

After an invite from US Senator Bill Cassidy, US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will be taking a trip to the Bayou State to assess infrastructure needs, including ports.  With five of the top 20 ports in the country in Louisiana, Cassidy believes having Chao take a first-hand look at the problem will expedite the process of getting old and new projects approved.

Cut 4  (09) “…perhaps better funded.”

A civil rights advocacy group is raising concerns about the practice of jails eavesdropping on attorney-client phone calls made from inside facilities. Court Watch NOLA presented their findings to the New Orleans City Council, and says the practice is done in prisons across the state. Executive Director Simone Lavine says fears of surveillance are having a chilling effect on defendant’s openness with their defenders, specifically in Orleans Parish, which she says has the worst rate of wrongful convictions in the nation.

Cut 7 (11)  “…attorneys the truth.”

A former Louisiana Senator is now throwing his name in the hat for another elected position.  Pearl River Republican A.G. Crowe has announced his candidacy for Secretary of State in the November election.  The office has faced challenges with the previous administration being plagued with sexual harassment controversy.  Crowe says he’s taken preventative measures to combat that type of activity during his time as a legislature.

Cut 14 (09)  “…of potential activity.”

A child was returned to his family after an Amber Alert was issued for 9-month-old Liam Allen who was abducted last night after 43-year-old Terry Doehling stole a vehicle he was sleeping in. Doehling drove the vehicle from Jeanerette to New Orleans allegedly unaware that the child was in the vehicle. Louisiana State Police Spokesperson Trooper Melissa Matey credits the Amber Alert system for the successful child rescue.

Cut 11 (11) “…matching that description.”

A criminal justice watchdog is raising concerns about the practice of jails recording phone conversations between attorneys and their clients. Matt Doyle has the story

Cut 2 (31) “I’m  Matt Doyle” 

After an invite from US Senator Bill Cassidy, US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will be taking a trip to the Bayou State to assess infrastructure needs, including ports.  Cassidy says he hopes to showcase Louisiana’s widespread need for new construction and repair projects.

US Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, will be paying a visit to the bayou state in response to an invitation from US Senator Bill Cassidy. Kevin Barnhart has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

A former Louisiana Senator is now throwing his name in the hat for Secretary of State. AG Crowe says the first thing he’d do if elected would be to overhaul the department’s tech.

Cut 12 (08)   “…state of Louisiana”

A child was returned to his family after an Amber Alert was issued for 9-month-old Liam Allen who was abducted last night after 43-year-old Terry Doehling stole a vehicle he was sleeping in. Doehling drove the vehicle from Jeanerette to New Orleans allegedly unaware that the child was in the vehicle. Louisiana State Police Spokesperson Trooper Melissa Matey has more…

cut 9 (10)  “…is in custody.”

A civil rights advocacy group is raising concerns about the practice of jails eavesdropping on attorney-client phone calls made from inside of the facilities. Court Watch NOLA presented their findings to the New Orleans City Council, and says the practice is done in prisons across the state. Executive Director Simone Lavine says recording those conversations is not constitutional.

Cut 6 (11)  “…over 350 years.”