Legislators are attempting to work out a deal in principle for a revenue plan before the special session begins on Monday. Jeff Palermo has the story.
Voicer 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

During an event hosted by Washington news organiziation POLITICO, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise quickly answered no when asked if he plans to run for governor next year. The Jefferson Parish Republican is a candidate to replace the retiring Paul Ryan as U-S House Speaker.

Democrat Renee Fontenot Free has entered the Secretary of State’s race, along with Republican state representative Julie Stokes. Free works in the state Attorney General’s office and one of her goals is to increase voter turnout…
cut 16 (11) “”…vote counts”
Republican state representative Julie Stokes also plans to run in the November general election.

Two Acadiana men are under arrest in connection to the murder of a St. Martinville teenager. Brandon Boutte of St. Martinville was charged with Obstruction of Justice and Second Degree Murder in the death of 19-year-old Simone Robin. St. Martin Parish Sherriff’s Spokesperson Major Ginny Higgins says Robin’s trailer was set on fire Saturday, and her body was found later that day on a levee in St. Landry.
Cut 9 (10) “their parish.”
Twenty-two-year-old Toby Boutte of Sunset was charged with accessory after the fact.

Renee Fontentot Free, who is the director of the public protection division in the Attorney General’s office, has announced she’s running for Secretary of State. Democrats have not fared well in statewide elections over the last decade, but Free says her party registration should have no bearing on her qualifications for a non-politicial job…
cut 15 (08) “….be neutral”
Republican State Representative Julie Stokes has also announced her candidacy.

Negotiations are underway in advance of next week’s special session, with legislators hoping to reach a deal in principle on a tax plan that could stave off major cuts to state programs, like TOPS….
cut 3 (10) “….both sides”
That’s Senate President John Alario who says the discussion is centering around a plan to renew a portion of an expiring one-cent sales tax.

The last special session revealed a rift in opinion within the Louisiana Republican Party between pro budget cut hardliners, and moderates who support a fully funded budget…
Voicer 2 (31) ” I’m Matt Doyle”

A Eunice man is dead after crashing his vehicle during a high speed chase with police in Jefferson Davis Parish. State Police Sgt James Anderson says it started when Kinder Police attempted to pull over 26-year-old Aaron Charlot for a traffic violation…
cut 9 (04) “…all this”

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office had made another arrest in the weekend brawl along the West Pearl River that resulted in the death of 46-year-old Jeffery Howell of Pearl River. 20-year-old Blaine Manalle of Slidell was booked last night on a charge of second-degree murder. 21-year-old Cameron Alphonso was arrested Sunday morning and his charges were upgraded to second-degree murder yesterday. No word on what sparked the fight.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries continues to aggressively test for chronic wasting disease among the deer population in northeast Louisiana, but so far all of the tests are negative. Sampling tests began after a deer was found with C-W-D near the Louisiana border in Issaquena County….
cut 6 (10) “…bait ban”
That’s state wildlife veterniaran, Doctor Jim LaCour, who says the feeding ban was in place in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas to keep deer from gathering in one place, increasing the chances of spreading the disease.

Candidates are lining up to replace Tom Schedler as Secretary of State in a special election in November, including Democrat Renee Fontenot Free.
Voicer 3 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Republican State Representative Julie Stokes is also running.

A Eunice man trying to flee from Kinder Police officers died during the chase…
cut 7 (07) “…of speed”
That’s State Police Sergeant James Anderson, who did not give a reason why 26-year-old Aaron Charlot decided not to stop when a Kinder Police officer tried to pull him over Monday morning.

For Governor John Bel Edwards to tout the upcoming third special session of 2018 a success, he’ll need to get 70 members in the House to approve a proposal to renew a half-cent of an expiring one-penny sales tax. It would generate an estimated 500-million dollars of revenue, but River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot is one of several Republicans who prefers that the state tighten its belt…
cut 10 (08) “….of Louisiana’
The special session begins Monday.

Democrat Renee Fontenot Free has entered this fall’s Secretary of State’s race, along with Republican state representative Julie Stokes. Free works in the state Attorney General’s office and one of her goals is to increase voter turnout…
cut 16 (11) “”…vote counts”
The general election will be in November.

A feeding ban enacted by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes has been rescinded as the state has yet to detect chronic wasting disease among its deer population. State Wildlife Veterinarian, Doctor Jim LaCour…
cut 4 (12) “…Louisiana line”
LDWF has sampled about 300 deer in the area and they have yet to detect the fatal neurodegenerative disease.

A Eunice man trying to elude officers died in a single-vehicle crash in Jefferson Davis Parish Monday morning. State Police Sergeant James Anderson says 26-year-old Aaron Charlot was traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, before losing control two miles north of Louisiana Highway 101…
cut 8 (07) “…to stop”
Charlot was pronounded dead at the scene. No word on why he didn’t stop when a Kinder Police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop.

Does the governor have the votes to pass a tax bill that would renew a half-penny of an expiring one-cent sales tax? It will take 70 votes for the legislation to pass the House and it’s the critical piece of legislation for the upcoming special session that John Bel Edwards has called in the hopes revenue can be raised to stave off cuts across state government. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot voted against the half-penny tax proposal earlier this month and is among several Republicans who want to see government reduced and it starts with state worker pay raises…
cut 11 (08) “…governor wants”
But Shreveport Republican Thomas Carmody supported the half penny, because he says the state is obligated to fund critical programs, like TOPS…
cut 12 (11) “…partnership”
The special session begins Monday.

Renee Fontentot Free, who is the director of the public protection division in the Attorney General’s office, has announced she’s running for Secretary of State. Democrats have not fared well in statewide elections over the last decade, but Free says her party registration should have no bearing on her qualifications for a non-politicial job…
cut 15 (08) “….be neutral”

It’s an ailment that is causing a serious threat to the deer population, and since January, a feeding ban was enacted in order to minimize the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, spreading into Louisiana. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
voicer 1 (24) “…Kevin Barnhart”

Will Governor John Bel Edwards third special session of the year be successful? The debate will center on renewing a half penny sales tax that supporters say can prevent cuts across state government. The proposal came up seven votes short of passing in the House earlier this month. Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody says the governor needs to reassure Republicans the money will be spent responsibly….
cut 13 (07) “…have nothing”
The 10-day special session begins Monday.

Democrat Renee Fontentot Free has entered the Secretary of State race. A special election will be held in November. She works in the Attorney General’s office as the Director of the Public Protection Division and she also once worked in the Secretary of State’s office…
cut 14 (09) “…very gratifying”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has lifted a feeding ban it had in effect since January after extensive testing in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes have yet to detect chronic wasting disease among the deer population. State wildlife veterinarian, Doctor Jim LaCour why the ban was put into effect..
cut 5 (13) “….licks, mineral sites”
Louisiana is on alert for C-W-D after a deer was found dead from the disease in Mississippi just a few miles from the Louisiana border.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services warns that unless more funding is approved in the special session, that the food stamps program will be shut down. Walters says 64 percent of people who receive SNAP benefits are either children, disabled, or the elderly, with another 27 percent being the working poor who a earn paycheck that’s not enough to feed their families.

Cut 13 (10) “their children” 

The feds currently pump 1.4 billion dollars in federal SNAP dollars into the state every year, which Walters says ends up being spent at one of 4,500 businesses like grocery stores and gas stations. The Secretary says that kind of economic loss would ripple throughout Louisiana’s economy.

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The department is currently set for 34 million dollars in cuts.

A new state law allows Louisiana public school teachers up to 30 days of paid leave for the adoption process. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds sponsored a package of bills promoting adoption after seeing families tackle the hurdles of the process during his campaign.

Cut 6 (09)  “…related to financial loss”

A North Louisianian got a huge surprise when the state’s Treasury Department informed them that they were owed 2.3 million dollars as part of the Unclaimed Property Program that returns uncollected money from estates to the next of kin. State Treasurer John Schroder says he’s never seen anything like it.

Cut 3 (06) “in Louisiana”

A record setting amount of money was returned to a North Louisiana resident as part of the state’s Unclaimed Property Program. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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A new state law allows Louisiana public school teachers up to 30 days of paid leave for the adoption process. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds sponsored a package of bills promoting adoption after seeing families tackle the hurdles of the process during his campaign and says he wanted to see the burden put on families eased by the new legislation.
cut 8 (10) “…has been removed.”
The change also applies to school social workers and school psychologists.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services warns that unless more funding is approved in the special session, that the food stamps program will be shut down. The money on SNAP cards comes from the feds, but the state has to foot much of the administrative bill, and the current budget leaves no money for it. Secretary Marketa Walters says one in five Louisianans are at risk of going hungry.
Cut 12 (10)   “about it”

A crash leaves a Eunice man is dead after fleeing from police at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on State Highway 383.  Shortly after 7am this morning, a Kinder police officer observed a Ford Mustang commit a traffic violation.  The driver, 26 year old Aaron Charlot, chose not to stop and later lost control of his vehicle.  The vehicle traveled into a ditch and became airborne.  Charlot was not wearing a seatbelt.

The state is warning that unless more revenue is approved in the special session, the food stamps program will shut down.  Matt Doyle has more…

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More details are emerging from a Denham Springs incident that left two people dead this weekend.  The initial call that came in was for a home invasion, but it is now believed that this was not a random act.  Investigators with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office have now identified the victim at 36 year old Beaux Bailey.  The second death is the suspect in the case, 37 year old Ted Bourn of Tupelo, Mississippi.  Both died as the result of gunfire exchanged between the two men.

More tech jobs are coming to Louisiana with the recent announcement that Accruent, a company that focuses on real estate digital integration, will be coming to New Orleans.  Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says the tech center is expected to bring in 350 jobs into the Big Easy.

Cut 11 (13) “…high paying jobs”

A new state law allows Louisiana public school teachers up to 30 days of paid leave for the adoption process. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds sponsored a package of bills promoting adoption after seeing families tackle the hurdles of the process during his campaign. Edmonds says that families that have a new baby via natural delivery have maternity leave, but it’s important that adopting families have a similar opportunity to bond with a child.

Cut 7 (10)  “…for those families”

Governor John Bel Edwards announces a Texas-based company will open a techonology center in New Orleans that will employ 350 workers. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says Accruent says is a software and information technology firm that focuses on digital integration in real estate…
cut 10 (12) “….in the market”
Accruent is already hiring and they plan to be fully staffed by 2020.

The state is returning two-point-three million dollars from its Unclaimed Property program to a north Louisiana resident….
cut 4 (07) “….know about”
That’s State Treasurer John Schroder who says this is the largest amoung ever returned to one person in the program’s history. The average is claim is around 900-dollars.

Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the budget signed by the governor for next fiscal year doesn’t contain enough money for the state to operate the federally-funded food stamps program in 2019. Walters says if additional funding is not raised in next week’s special session, one-thousand staff members who help distribute food stamps will be laid off in January and some 45-hundred businesses that service food stamp recipients will also feel the impact….
cut 14 (11) “….DCFS”
Louisiana distributes one-point-four billion dollars in federal food stamps every year to low-income households.

The National Hurricane Center tells us they are monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Seat that has low chance of tropical formation this week. The weather system is approaching the Gulf of Mexico, but at the moment seems like a bigger concern for Mexico than the United States.