Electric bills for Entergy customers are going down a few bucks, and just in time for summer. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (28) I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Pelicans are rolling back into New Orleans up 2-0 in their first round playoff series against the Trailblazers, after a suffocating defense sucked the life out of Portland’s star duo of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. Pelicans Senior Vice President of Sales Mike Stanfield says New Orleans’ stars are putting on a clinic.

Cut 4  (09) “special team.” 

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The full House will consider a budget today that funds TOPS, but includes deep cuts in healthcare and higher education. The budget has come under fire from leading Democrats, including Governor John Bel Edwards who says the cuts are a massive blow to crucial state services.

Edwards says it’s a budget that’s so bad, it shouldn’t even be in consideration.

Cut 11 (10) “this long”

The state education board approved a plan to include opioid abuse prevention education in Louisiana public school curriculum. Press Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Education Sydni Dunn says educators can bring a unique set of skills to the fight against opioid addiction.Dunn says the program will be tailored to younger audiences, and is aimed at explaining the dangers of opioid abuse.

Cut 15 (09) “preventative action”

New Orleans returns home with a 2-0 series lead after shocking the Trailblazers in Portland. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Entergy has announced that the tax savings from the federal tax reform bill will be passed back to customers starting in May. The savings will be implanted in two stages through September. Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May says by fall, the average customer will be saving six bucks a month.

Cut 7 (12)  “per month”

======================================================————————————-

The full House will consider a budget today that funds TOPS, but includes deep cuts in healthcare and higher education. The budget has come under fire from leading Democrats, including Governor John Bel Edwards who says the cuts are a massive blow to crucial state services.

Cut 10 (11) “dollars”

The state education board approved a plan to include opioid abuse prevention education in Louisiana public school curriculum. Press Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Education Sydni Dunn says educators can bring a unique set of skills to the fight against opioid addiction.

Cut 14 (10) “of prevention”

Can the Pelicans make it three straight wins over Portland? Host of the Locked on Pelicans Podcast, Jake Madison, says look for the Trail Blazers to make some adjustments to give them some advantages on the offensive end of the court…

Cut 17 (17) “…some problems”

Pelicans Senior Vice President of Sales Mike Stanfield says the Smoothie King Center is sold out for tonight’s game and Game 4 on Saturday afternoon…

                    Cut 4 (09) “…special team”

The Pelicans franchise is looking for its first home playoff game victory since 2011, when Chris Paul and the Hornets beat the Lakers. Tip off tonight is at 8 PM.

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LSU and Tulane played a wild game at Turchin Stadium and it was the Green Wave who came out on top 10-9. The Tigers trailed seven to three heading into the 7^th inning, but LSU staged a furious come back and led 9-7 going into the bottom of the ninth. But Tulane answered back with three runs in that frame and won 10-9. Luke Glancy walked with the bases loaded to drive home the winning run as LSU relivers Devin Fontenot and Matthew Beck each failed to secure the two-run lead. Nick Coomes had four hits for the Tigers, while Jonathon Artigues drove in four runs for the Green Wave.

Louisiana Tech crushed UL Lafayette 15-2 to end the Cajuns five-game winning streak. Mason Robinson led the way for the Bulldogs with four hits and five runs driven in. David Leal pitched seven shutout innings for the win.

 Elsewhere, Nicholls over Mississippi Valley State four to three, Northwestern State edged Little Rock three to two and South Alabama outscored UNO 15-9.

 Tonight, the NFL schedule comes out, we’ll see how many primetime games the Saints get.

New Orleans returns home with a 2-0 series lead after shocking the Trailblazers in Portland. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

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Electric bills for Entergy customers are going down a few bucks, and just in time for summer. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (28) I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The House is set to discuss a budget today that would fully fund TOPS, but slash funding for higher education and healthcare. Michael Farrar has more.

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Michael Farrar”

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The Pelicans are rolling back into New Orleans up 2-0 in their first round playoff series against the Trailblazers, after a suffocating defense sucked the life out of Portland’s star duo of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. Pelicans Senior Vice President of Sales Mike Stanfield says New Orleans’ stars are putting on a clinic.

Cut 4  (09) “special team.” 

Stanfield says over the course of one of the most successful seasons in a decade, the fans have bought in, and turned up.

Cut 5  (07)  “sixth man”

The team is planning to throw a party for fans in attendance, with free tee-shirts, pep rallies, a fan fest outside, and…

Cut 6 (08) “exciting atmosphere.”

Game three tips off Thursday at 8pm with a potential series clinching game four on Saturday at 4pm.

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Entergy has announced that the tax savings from the federal tax reform bill will be passed back to customers starting in May. The savings will be implanted in two stages through September. Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May says by fall, the average customer will be saving six bucks a month.

Cut 7 (12)  “per month”

May says the savings are the result of the trillion dollar tax cut, as well as upgrades to Entergy’s infrastructure.

Cut 8 (09)  “lower cost.”

And the saving will come just in time to blunt the impact of dreaded Louisiana summer electric bills.

Cut 9 (07)  “going up”

Customers will see an additional drop of about two dollars a month after Katrina/Rita costs fall off in October.

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The full House will consider a budget today that funds TOPS, but includes deep cuts in healthcare and higher education. The budget has come under fire from leading Democrats, including Governor John Bel Edwards who says the cuts are a massive blow to crucial state services.

Cut 10 (11) “dollars”

Edwards says it’s a budget that’s so bad, it shouldn’t even be in consideration.

Cut 11 (10) “this long”

The Democratic Caucus is calling on its members to vote against the budget. They say it unfairly targets Democratic constituencies, while funding institutions in GOP districts.

But GOP House Delegation Chairman Lance Harris says the budget has one success, and that’s fully funding TOPS.

Cut 12 (09) “already planned”

Harris says the budget being discussed is not final, and a great tool for identifying where to start in a future special session.

Cut 13 (08)  “that process”

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The state education board approved a plan to include opioid abuse prevention education in Louisiana public school curriculum. Press Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Education Sydni Dunn says educators can bring a unique set of skills to the fight against opioid addiction.

The state’s legislative auditor has completed a sexual harassment survey of thousands of state workers and concluded that the state should do a better job of educating its workers on the issue. Auditor Daryl Purpera says without a standard procedure the issue may continue.
Cut 9 (10) “that report”
Senators are working on legislation that would put in place anti-harassment training and policies.

The full House will debate a proposed spending plan Thursday that contains 648-million dollars in cuts. State Representative Patricia Smith says Democrats plan to vote against it, and they look forward to raising revenue in a special session…
cut 16 (10) “…for cuts”
House Republican Caucus leader Lance Harris says Thursday’s vote is just another step in the budgeting process.

The full House has approved legislation that gives residents a chance to vote on whether fantasy sports betting should be legal. Currently, fantasy sports websites like Draft Kings and Fan Duel do not allow Louisiana residents to play their contests. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot says his legislation legalizes it in parishes, if it’s approved by a majority of residents in November…
Cut 7 (10) “regulate it”
The measure still needs Senate approval.

A bill that puts into place statewide regulations regarding ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber has received House approval. There was just one no vote and from Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover, who says the background check used to clear drivers is not reliable….
cut 13 (11) “…try anything”
The measure heads to the Senate for more discussion.

State legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera (Per-Pair-Uh) says the state spent more than five million dollars on sexual harassment claims over the past 9 years. Purpera (Per-Pair-Uh) says their audit also concluded there is no clear cut process on what an employee should do if a harassment incident occurs…

Cut 8 (:12) “those claims.”
The audit also found that 77-percent of state employees never reported harassment they felt they experienced.

The Democratic Caucus is pushing back against a budget that will be discussed tomorrow on the House Floor that includes 648 million dollars in cuts to higher education and healthcare. Caucus Chairman Robert Johnson says the budget discriminates against Democratic constituencies, while funding projects in Republican areas of the state.

Cut 14 (09) “that’s immoral”
The caucus is also pushing back against part of the budget that fully funds TOPS, but cuts the higher education budget.

A bill that would allow companies like Uber to operate across the state passed the House on a resounding 97-1 vote. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Entergy expects to reduce your electric bill starting in May and by the fall season, Entergy says average customers should save six bucks a month.  The savings are due to a trillion dollar federal tax cut, plus upgrades to Entergy’s infrastructure. The utility company says the decrease will come just in time to help consumers with Louisiana’s summer electric bills. Customers should see another drop of about two dollars a month after Katrina/Rita costs fall off their electric bills in October.

A new report from the state auditor finds Louisiana has spent over five million dollars on lawsuits involving sexual harassment claims since 2009. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera also found the state should have a uniform sexual harassment policy….
cut 10 (09) “…should have”
Legislators are currently discussing legislation that would put in place anti-harassment training and policies for government agencies.

The full House has approved a bill that sets up statewide regulations for ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft. Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton says for people who don’t own a vehicle and Uber is not available in their area, this legislation can be a huge benefit….
cut 12 (05) “…doctor’s office”
The measure moves to the Senate for more discussion.

The full House has approved legislation that gives residents a chance to vote on whether fantasy sports betting should be legal in their parish. The bill’s author, River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot, explained to the rest of the House how the fantasy sports games work…
Cut 6 (06) “to play”
Currently, fantasy sports websites like Draft Kings and Fan Duel do not allow Louisiana residents to play in their contests.

The Pelicans are back New Orleans with a two games to nothing series lead over Portland after a 111 to 102 victory last night. Jrue Holiday scored a career playoff-high 33 points. And on the defensive end, Holiday held Damian Lillard to 17 points. Head Coach Alvin Gentry says Holiday has been playing at a high level for a while…
Cut 3 (10) “tonight”
Game 4 is tomorrow.

A bill that puts into place statewide regulations regarding ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber has received House approval. There’s just one no vote and that’s from Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover who says the background check used to clear drivers is not reliable….
cut 13 (11) “…try anything”
The measure heads to the Senate for more discussion.

There will be a long discussion tomorrow on the proposed budget for next fiscal year. Democratic Caucus Chairman Robert Johnson says he doesn’t like how Republicans have crafted the budget so far….
cut 15 (11) “….of cuts’
Republican legislators want TOPS fully funded, but without new revenue that means cuts for public colleges and health care services.

The state legislative auditor has completed an audit on sexual harassment in state government and concludes the state should do a better job of educating its workers…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisiana sports fans are falling in love with Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday. The veteran scored a career playoff-high 33 points in last night’s 111 to 102 win over Portland….
cut 4 (09) “…right now”
The Pelicans are up two games to nothing in the series and host Game 3 tomorrow.

State legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says the state spent more than five million dollars on sexual harassment claims over the past 9 years. Purpera says their audit also concluded there is no clear cut process on what an employee should do if a harassment incident occurs…
Cut 8 (:12) “those claims.”
The audit also found that 77-percent of state employees never reported harrassment they felt they experienced.

The full House will debate a proposed spending plan tomorrow that contains 648-million dollars in cuts. State Representative Patricia Smith says Democrats plan to vote against it, and they look forward to raising revenue in a special session…
cut 16 (10) “…for cuts”
House Republican Caucus leader Lance Harris says Thursday’s vote is just another step in the budgeting process.

A bill that would allow companies like Uber to operate across the state passed the House on a resounding 97-1 vote. Matt Doyle has more.
Voicer 2 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The Pelicans are up 2-0 in their series with Portland and have all the momentum heading into tomorrow night’s Game 3 in New Orleans. Head Coach Alvin Gentry says they can’t celebrate yet…
cut 5 (10) “…go off”
New Orleans beat the Trail Blazers 111 to 102 last night.

The state’s legislative auditor has completed a sexual harassment survey of thousands of state workers and concluded that the state should do a better job of educating its workers on the issue. Auditor Daryl Purpera says without a standard procedure the issue may continue.

Cut 9 (10) “that report”

The audit findings largely came from the Office of Risk Management.

On a 97-1 vote, the House passed legislation that would permit companies like Uber to operate across the state, without needing to make local agreements. The bill, by Speaker Taylor Barras, would bring Louisiana in line with the vast majority of other state’s rideshare regulations. Barras says it’s a big benefit with a small price tag.

Cut 11 (07) “in workforce.”

The bill moves onto the Senate.

A bill to ban drivers from using their phone with their hands while on the road failed to pass the House floor after an, at times, contentious debate. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey says the bill is unnecessary nanny state legislation.

Cut 15 (10) “be responsible”

And the Pelicans are rolling into New Orleans with a 2-0 series lead after shocking the Trailblazers in Portland. Anthony Davis is averaging 28 points and 13 boards but maybe the biggest impact has come from star point guard Jrue Holliday, who’s averaging 27 points while completely locking down the Blazers high scoring backcourt duo of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. Game three tipoff is at 8pm tomorrow.

And now here’s commodity prices.